The Six Triple Eight

During the Second World War millions of letters and parcels for American soldiers at the front are sitting undelivered in warehouses. The job goes to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, made up entirely of Black women. Their superiors expect them to fail. Tyler Perry wrote and directed, on a 70 million dollar budget, the most expensive production of his career. Kerry Washington plays Major Charity Adams Earley, with Ebony Obsidian, Susan Sarandon, Sam Waterston and Oprah Winfrey in the cast. Filming began in January 2023 in Atlanta and in the UK, including Bradford. It opened in cinemas on 6 December 2024 and arrived on Netflix on 20 December, reaching 52.4 million views in its first four weeks. Reviews were mixed. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 55 percent, with critics granting the importance of the subject and writing that the film does not let the events speak for themselves. Peter Debruge in Variety noted that Washington's forceful turn stands head and shoulders above the others. It won five prizes at the 56th NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Motion Picture. The Journey, written by Diane Warren and performed by H.E.R., was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar. Who it is for: viewers who care about unknown war stories and about historical credit being given. Who it is not for: anyone wanting restraint. The film underlines every emotional beat, and that is exactly where the criticism lands.