A Soldier's Story_
"Alone, far from home, and far from justice, he has three days to learn the truth about a murder... and the truth is a story you won't forget."
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. Military lawyer, Captain Davenport—also a black man—is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Davenport must battle with deceit and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill the Master Sergeant.
Starring
Howard Rollins, Adolph Caesar, Art Evans
Box Office
$21.8M
Updated Feb 16, 2026
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Box office
A Soldier's Story earned $21.8M worldwide on a $6.0M budget — a 264% return on investment.
Year context
A Soldier's Story was released 42 years ago in 1984.
A Soldier's Story is a Mystery, Crime, Drama film with a runtime of 1h 41m.
CAST (20)
Howard Rollins
Captain Davenport
Adolph Caesar
Sergeant Waters
Art Evans
Private Wilkie
Robert Townsend
Corporal Ellis
Denzel Washington
Private First Class Peterson
David Alan Grier
Corporal Cobb
David Harris
Private Smalls
Dennis Lipscomb
Captain Taylor
Patti LaBelle
Big Mary
Wings Hauser
Lieutenant Byrd
Larry Riley
C.J. Memphis
William Allen Young
Private Henson
Scott Paulin
Captain Wilcox
John Hancock
Sergeant Washington
Robert Tyler
Private Seymour
Trey Wilson
Colonel Nivens
PB
Patricia Brandkamp
Ida Nivens
CD
Carl Dreher
Bus driver
VR
Vaughn Reeves
Captain Estes
MA
Michael Anthony Williams
Barracks Soldier
BOX OFFICE
$6.0M
Budget
$21.8M
Revenue
+264%
ROI
BLOCKBUSTER
Verdict
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
101 min (1h 41m)
Country
Rating
6.8/10 (198 votes)
Budget
$6,000,000
Box Office
$21,821,347
Profit
+$15,821,347
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is A Soldier's Story about?
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. Military lawyer, Captain Davenport—also a black man—is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Davenport must battle with deceit and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill the Master Sergeant.
How long is A Soldier's Story?
A Soldier's Story has a runtime of 101 minutes (1h 41m).
Who stars in A Soldier's Story?
The cast of A Soldier's Story includes Howard Rollins, Adolph Caesar, Art Evans, Robert Townsend, Denzel Washington.
How much did A Soldier's Story make at the box office?
A Soldier's Story earned $21,821,347 worldwide at the box office. The production budget was $6,000,000.
What is the rating of A Soldier's Story?
A Soldier's Story has a rating of 6.8 out of 10 based on 198 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (3)
Mystery
Crime
Drama