Because of its subject matter, my Christmas wish for “The Six Triple Eight” was to lead the review with “Tyler Perry having an Oscar-worthy film was not on this critic’s 2024 bingo card.”
The wish didn’t come true, but Perry still made a good enough movie that celebrates the legacy of unsung heroes within American history. Though not without its flaws, the film absolutely gets right what Tyler Perry does best – resonate with his audience.
The “Hidden Figures: Armed Forces Edition” premiered on Netflix on Friday, December 20. “The Six Triple Eight” honors a historic World War II women’s corps that many history buffs have probably never heard of. They were the only all-Black women’s corps to serve in Europe. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was sent there to resolve what was believed to be the insurmountable crisis of organizing and distributing mail correspondence between soldiers and their families.
The strength of the film is also its weakness. Perry’s attention to the craft of filmmaking – particularly screenwriting – seems less important than creating a work he thinks his viewers will like. That means that nuances that would make for a strong traditional war drama take a backseat to situations and characters that are typical of productions from Perry’s empire.
In all fairness to him, a war drama where the main objective is an administrative task is tough work. And he absolutely makes the most of the challenges and obstacles the 6888th Battalion faces in their quest with respect to dramatic effect.
However, Perry stumbles into his usual pitfalls of shallow character arcs and dialogue. And Like many race-based historical dramas, “The Six Triple Eight” has a predictable format.
There is the tough as nails, no nonsense leader. He or she is committed to making sure that the group they are charged with directing is a credit to all Black people. Said leader also sets out to prove what everyone already knows to be true – the group is beyond capable of achieving the impossible. That is because the generational legacy of being Black in America has been being able to accomplish so much, with so little, for so long– while dodging systemic barriers designed to ensure failure. They draw upon their strengths and conquer their weaknesses in the name of completing the task that those who assigned them never believed could be done. Viewers know the mission will be accomplished from the very beginning, but still feel good about seeing it through.
“The Six Triple Eight” is an anomaly within Perry’s filmography in that it was inspired by something other than his imagination. He wrote and directed the film, which was inspired by “Fighting a Two-Front War,” a WWII History magazine article by Kevin M. Hymel. The story details the contributions of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black and all-female battalion.
It labors in the beginning by wasting too much time with a backstory for one of the central characters. But by the film’s end, one can’t help but be inspired. Especially by the epilogue that gives flowers to the real-life sheroes that “The Six Triple Eight” portrays. There are also moments where Perry’s direction gives an unexpected twist in emotionally charged scenes that give an element of surprise and maximize the connection with the audience.
The ensemble film stars Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Sarah Jeffery, Pepi Sonuga, Moriah Brown, Greg Sulkin and Dean Norris. Susan Sarandon, Sam Waterston and Oprah Winfrey make cameo appearances as high-profile historical figures.
Washington leads a cast of relatively unknowns, aside from the brief appearances from A-listers. Her southern drawl isn’t very convincing, but she still gets to the heart of Major Charity Adams. She and Milauna Jackson, who portrays Captain Noel Campbell, display enough chemistry to keep viewers engaged – and draw the potential from their young co-stars, despite the limits placed on their characters because of a script that hardly cracks the surface of who they are as individuals.
“The Six Triple Eight” is now streaming on Netflix. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 127 minutes.
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