Soul Patrol (2026)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Soul Patrol features veterans from the first Black Special Ops team in Vietnam, sharing deeply personal stories of brotherhood, sacrifice, and the lasting consequences of war.
Director J.M. Harper captures some remarkable archival footage filmed by soldiers themselves.
The reunion of surviving veterans and their families provides the documentary's most heartfelt moments.
NO
Some staged sequences feel literal and detract from the overall authenticity of the veterans' stories.
There are some pacing issues, in part because of re-enactments, but also when it pivots away from firsthand accounts from the soldiers themselves.
There are occasionally cinematic choices which nullify some of the film’s most powerful stories and moments shared on screen.
OUR REVIEW
Soul Patrol, receiving a theatrical run beginning on Veterans Day, tells the moving and powerful story of the self-anointed “Soul Patrol,” recognized as the first all-Black Special Operations team to serve in Vietnam. Director J.M. Harper revisits this turbulent period, drawing on both recollections of surviving veterans, remarkable archival footage shot by soldiers during their deployment, and through the work of novelist Ed Emanuel.
Emanuel’s book, first published in 2003, provides the foundation for Harper’s film. As veterans who served as part of the Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) reflect on the stories and experiences they shared, Emanuel unearthed a deeply felt and complicated range of emotions. From the power of a united brotherhood to the sacrifices made and ongoing racial injustice experienced by loved ones back home, the consequences of war were multifaceted and overwhelming.
In 1968, America was at war, both overseas and within its own borders. The Vietnam War had escalated, President Lyndon B. Johnson was increasingly unpopular, protests spread across the country, and the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, just two months apart, exposed a nation deeply divided over race, politics, and its very future.
For Black American soldiers serving in Vietnam, they were fighting for a country that denied them equality while confronting institutionalized racism and discrimination both at home and within the military.
Essentially, they were fighting for a world fighting within itself.
Soul Patrol becomes particularly effective when Harper follows Emanuel’s blueprint and allows the soldiers to tell their own stories. Their recollections are sometimes humorous, bittersweet and heartbreaking, and filled with moments depicting how the realities of combat can take seemingly mundane situations and turn them into moments of terror and anxiety.
In one scene, a veteran recalls encountering fireflies for the first time while serving in Vietnam. Unfamiliar with the insects, he initially believed the flickering light was coming from a cigarette in the mouth of a Viet Cong soldier tracking his movements. Using re-enactments and tight close-ups of the soldiers telling their stories, it becomes an unforgettable anecdote, one that draws a smile before its implications truly take shape.
Harper also incorporates archival footage filmed by soldiers during their time overseas. These images lend great power to the viewing experience, as we see an innocence among these young men as they laugh and interact with one another. You cannot help but look at these young men and recognize that they don’t know what they don’t know, and have no idea what the end of this experience will mean for them. That optimism, later reflected in the wrinkled and aged faces of men in their 70s and 80s, creates a juxtaposition Harper captures exceptionally well.
The film's emotional centerpiece arrives when Emanuel brings surviving soldiers and family members together for a roundtable discussion. Decades have passed, but the memories come flooding back. As stories are shared, emotions surface, and the bonds once made and left behind are instantly restored.
The conversations reveal trauma and unresolved feelings. They also reflect a sense of camaraderie and the power of sharing something so profound and everlasting. The inclusion of family members adds another layer of meaning to these conversations, as they get to perhaps see their loved ones in a new light.
Soul Patrol is at its strongest when it focuses on the stories. When Harper eschews elaborate filmmaking and cinematic flourishes, these stories, faces, and emotions speak volumes.
At times, Harper stages sequences and re-enactments which remind us that these thoughts, emotions, and experiences continue to haunt the soldiers and remain with them. The approach is bold, but the execution detracts from the film’s overall impact, especially when Emanuel is shown encountering visions of his fellow soldiers in a grocery store. The sequence feels forced and literal, an unfortunate creative choice in a documentary that otherwise finds power in the authenticity of its subjects.
The wounds are still very real. The memories are still fresh. But so are the friendships, loyalty and shared sense of purpose. More than a half century has gone by, but the “Soul Patrol” remains an important part of understanding the broader context of American history regarding Vietnam, racial injustice, and one of the most tumultuous periods in our nation’s history.
Soul Patrol may occasionally stumble in how it presents these experiences, but J.M. Harper has carefully crafted a moving tribute to these pioneering soldiers whose sacrifices, struggles, and humanity deserve to be remembered, and whose voices are finally being given the attention they have long deserved.
CAST & CREW
Featuring: Ed Emanuel, Emerson Branch, Willie T. Brown, Lawton Mackey, Willie Merkerson, Okea Eme-Akwari, Michael Oloyede, Elijah Richardson, Myles Simms- Aur, Deion Smith
Director: J.M. Harper
Written by: J.M. Harper
Based on the book, “Soul Patrol: The Riveting True Story of the First African American LRRP Team in Vietnam” by Ed Emanuel
Release Date: November 6, 2026 and re-released November 11, 2026
Kino Lorber