"Soul Patrol," a documentary from director J.M. Harper, follows Ed Emanuel, a writer who served as a 17-year-old in the first Black special operations Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol team during the Vietnam War. The film reunites Emanuel with his unit members in 2024 for what the men describe as their final gathering.
The eight veterans, Emanuel, Lawton Mackey, Thad Givens, Emerson Branch, Jesse Lewis, Willie T. Brown, Willie Merkerson, and Norman Reid, meet in a Florida hotel conference room to discuss their service between 1968 and 1969. Emanuel, who documented their stories in a 2003 memoir of the same title, narrates the film.
Harper grounds the documentary in historical context. Emanuel was en route to Vietnam when Robert F. Kennedy's assassination was reported in 1968. A speech from Martin Luther King Jr. becomes an emotional anchor for Emanuel as he questions whether the war's trauma justified his service.
The reunion footage captures the men discussing trauma, discrimination, and tokenization they faced as Black soldiers. They grapple with conflicting feelings about their unit's nickname, described as "simultaneously endearing and patronizing."
Super 8 footage shot by the men themselves during their tour forms the visual core of the film, paired with newscast footage and period advertisements. Black and white sequences show the veterans' wives and partners discussing life after the war, expanding the film's perspective.
Harper employs actor-led reenactments that the review notes feel "a little too slick and generic" compared to the archival material. A string-heavy score, the review states, feels "overly generic for the material."
The film closes on the veterans' experiences returning home, featuring a reflection from one member: "We need to tell the stories to look at where we were at, where we come from, and where we headed. You need to know your beginning before you can figure out your ending."
Kino Lorber releases "Soul Patrol" in select theaters November 6. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.