A Soldier's Story

From the man who brought you In the Heat of the Night, another spotlessly liberal look at racial problems, again in the Deep South. This time it's a question of murder as, back in 1944, Rollins' Poitier-style army captain is called in to investigate the killing of a black sergeant (Caesar) on a military base. Here the subject is less racial hatred between whites and blacks than problems with racial identity: what it means to be black in a white man's world. Nothing very original, to be sure, and the film's theatrical origins are clear from both the wordy script and the intense performances. But Rollins' charisma works wonders, and Jewison reveals enough solid professionalism in the deft handling of flashbacks to make it gripping entertainment.