Movie · 2024 · Drama, War, History · 2h 10m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.0/10 (126.3K ratings)
They were ordered to provide hope...
Overview
During World War II, the US Army's only all-Black, all-women battalion takes on an impossible mission: sorting through a three-year backlog of 17 million pieces of mail that hadn't been delivered to American soldiers and finish within six months.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.0/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.30/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Metacritic: 51
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Tyler Perry
Production
Tyler Perry Studios, Mandalay Pictures, Her Excellency Productions, Intuition Productions
Cast
Kerry Washington, Sam Waterston, Susan Sarandon, Dean Norris, Oprah Winfrey, Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Williams, Pepi Sonuga, Sarah Jeffery, Jay Reeves, Jeanté Godlock, Moriah Brown, Baadja-Lyne Odums, Gregg Sulkin, Austin Nichols, Ben VanderMey, Nick Harris, Scott Johnson
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
An inspiring, under-told World War II story with real emotional payoff, but the filmmaking is widely seen as overly earnest, melodramatic, and TV-movie in feel. Worth it if you value the history and the performances more than polish or subtlety.
Best for
viewers interested in overlooked Black history and women’s military service
audiences who don’t mind a sentimental, message-forward style
people looking for an uplifting true-story wartime drama
Skip if
you want a tightly written, prestige-level war film
you’re sensitive to corny dialogue or heavy-handed emotional beats
you prefer character-driven ensemble dramas with nuanced direction
Overview
The Six Triple Eight tells a genuinely remarkable story: the only all-Black, all-women battalion in the U.S. Army, sent to solve an impossible mail backlog in wartime Europe. That premise alone gives the film a strong emotional and historical hook, and the ending lands because the mission itself is so human and so moving.
Worth noting
The problem is execution. The movie leans hard into speeches, broad sentiment, and tidy inspiration, with a style that often feels more like a TV movie than a fully lived-in drama. The cast does solid work, especially in moments where the film lets the women’s determination speak for itself, but the script and direction keep undercutting the material’s power.
Bottom line
If you’re here for the history, the representation, and a feel-good true story about perseverance, there’s enough here to recommend. If you want war drama with sharper craft and deeper character work, this will likely feel frustratingly conventional.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Chloe (2.5★) · 1564 likes
If Hallmark decided to make war movies
Happypumpkin18 (3★) · 1401 likes
It’s an important story to tell and Tyler Perry tries his best, Kerry Washington too and it should be great. But it’s not. Between the cliché ridden script and the sometimes corny dialogue, the monotonous editing—I don’t know what holds it back the most. Now this isn’t a bad movie as it does have its moments, I just wish it was better.
2024 Ranked.
William Cooper (3★) · 1247 likes
Two things can be true at once about this movie. The Six Triple Eight is a fascinating and uplifting true story that I wish I had known about prior to this movie. Also, I wish it had been directed by someone other than Tyler Perry. Putting it mildly, he's an awful director. He directs every scene, every moment, to be a message instead of a story. We learn nothing about any character as they aren't even characters. They are just… more Two things can be true at once about this movie. The Six Triple Eight is a fascinating and uplifting true story that I wish I had known about prior to this movie. Also, I wish it had been directed by someone other than Tyler Perry. Putting it mildly, he's an awful director. He directs every scene, every moment, to be a message instead of a story. We learn nothing about any character as they aren't even characters. They are just… more
j_a_x_ (2.5★) · 806 likes
I love the story and am so happy that these women are getting their due here, but it’s unfortunately giving TV movie to the max.
Neill Shaughness (2★) · 723 likes
Would be a great movie to show an eighth grade social studies class.