“Six Triple Eight,” which opened in limited theatrical release earlier this month, is now streaming on Netflix (as of Friday, December 20).

This World War II drama is Tyler Perry's latest project and sheds light on a specific chapter of wartime history.

The streaming service has produced a number of shocking war dramas, most notably Edward Berger's Western Front Extraordinary. The reasons for this are as follows.

Tyler Perry's “Six Triple Eight” is based on the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Regiment, the first and only female Army unit of color to serve in Europe during World War II.

Facing the racism and sexism of the time, poorly maintained facilities, and harsh working conditions, this group of 855 women was sentenced to a backlog of 17 million pieces of mail and given six months to clear and dispatch them. Despite all the challenges they faced, the women banded together and accomplished their task in half the time allotted.

Perry's screenplay for the film was published in 2019 by Kevin M. Heimel and is based on an article published in WWII History Magazine. You can learn more about how producer Nicole Avant brought this project to life at Tudum.

The ensemble cast of Six Triple Eight includes Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Milona Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Susan Sarandon, Dean Norris, Sam Waterston, Oprah Winfrey, among others.

As mentioned above, I would argue that the true story behind “Six Triple Eight” is what makes the film more worth watching than the quality of the project itself.

It is difficult to say that I was aware of the important work of the 6888th until I streamed Perry's new film, and I am glad that their work is being shared widely on Netflix. That said, there is a low-budget, heavy-handed, and sometimes clichéd feel to “Six Triple Eight” that threatens to diminish the film's impact.

Critically, “Six Triple Eight” is a divisive film. As of this writing, Rotten Tomatoes has a 50% critics' rating.

Peter DeBruge of Variety was impressed with the new film and felt it was “an important step for Perry” and “ambitious,” but he acknowledged that “there remains a bit of an amateurish quality to the project,” noting “snarky dialogue” and “Perry's portrayal of prejudice quite strongly tends to put forth, which can have a reductive effect on all accomplished women,” highlighting a particular problem.

Perry's new film is “not particularly sensitive,” he said, despite his criticism of the “awkward historical scenes” between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (Waterston and Sarandon, respectively) and Mary McLeod Bethune (Winfrey), Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck praised the cast's performances, arguing that the underlying story was so powerful that “you can't help but choke,” writing: “Perry mercilessly but deftly tugs at the heartstrings in a way that would make Frank Capra proud. [23] [24] Vulture's Allison Wilmore was far more critical. They denounced “Six Triple Eight” as a “war movie cosplay,” arguing that Perry's film seemed more interested in the repeated injustices they faced than in highlighting the important work accomplished by the 6888th Battalion, writing: “‘Six Triple Eight’ is a film about the achievements of the then It is about people who were not recognized by the public, but in its belated attempt to give them their due recognition on the screen, the war film's clunky excuses are more about what they endured than what they accomplished.

If this has turned you off of streaming “Six Triple Eight,” at least read about the 6888th Battalion. If you're still in the mood for a historical drama, check out Netflix's guide to the best war movies available for streaming right now. For even broader recommendations, be sure to read our roundup of Netflix's best movies.