In Spike Lee’s newest World War II film, Lee bumbles between mediocrity and incoherency as he attempts to tell the story of four African American Buffalo Soldiers’ journey through an Italian village.

Miracle at St. Anna weaves issues of racism, the atrocities of war (in one scene an entire church congregation is slaughtered by Nazi machine guns then followed up with a crying baby being bayoneted) and a feel-good ending of hope and coincidence. The movie tries to accomplish too much, though another hour wouldn’t have helped.

The mostly ignored story of a segregated World War II U.S. Army needs to be told, but this certainly wasn’t the film to do it.

Miracle at St. Anna MPAA rating: R, for strong war violence, language and some sexual content/nudity. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes.