Director: Norman Jewison
Writer(s): Charles Fuller (play and screenplay)
Starring: Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, David Alan Grier, David Harris, Dennis Lipscomb, Larry Riley, Robert Townsend, Denzel Washington, William Allen Young, Patti LaBelle, Wings Hauser, Scott Paulin, John Hancock, Trey Wilson, Patricia Brandkamp, Carl Dreher, Vaughn Reeves, Robert Tyler, Pat Grabe, Terry Dodd, Warren Clements, James W. Bryant, John Valentine, Ronald E. Greenfield, Anthony C. Sanders, Traftin E. Thompson, Roy Wells, Tommy G. Liggins, Calvin Franklin, Kevin T. Mosley, Michael Anthony Williams, David Ashley, Thomas Howard, Bobby McGee, Rick Ramey, Lacarnist Hiriams
Synopsis: Tensions flare in this gripping film about a murder on a black army base near the end of World War II. Captain Davenport (Howard E. Rollins, Jr.), a proud black army attorney, is sent to Fort Neal, Louisiana, to investigate the ruthless shooting death of Sergeant Waters (Adolph Caesar). Through interviews with Sarge’s men, Davenport learns that he was a vicious man who served the white world and despised his own roots. Was the killer a bigoted white officer? Or could he have been a black soldier embittered by Waters’ constant race baiting? Directed by Norman Jewison from Charles Fuller’s Pulitzer Prize- winning play, A SOLDIER’S STORY is both a spellbinding mystery and a superb drama that transcends race.
Release Date: November 2, 1984 (USA) | Length: 101 min | Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery | Certificate: PG | Note(s): There is a Traftin E. Thompson Sr. and Jr. I can’t tell from the film which one is the one above. Both are from Arkansas where the film was made. Jr was in the military but not sure if its him and I don’t have any other films or tv shows to compare it to.