2020 Military Historical Drama Gets a Second Chance on Netflix

6 years after the COVID-19 Pandemic cancelled the theatrical rollout of The 24th, the historical film will be brought to the attention of Netflix's 90 million subscribers in the U.S.

Directed by Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee's co-writer for BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Da 5 Bloods (2020), The 24th follows the true story of the Houston riot of 1917 - a mutiny by the all-black 24th Infantry Regiment, sparked by tensions with the Houston Police Department over police brutality at Camp Logan, resulting in the deaths of 5 soldiers, 11 civilians, and 5 HPD policemen. Its subsequent trial, involving 118 soldiers, resulted in the execution of 19 soldiers and 63 sentenced to life imprisonment.

The characters featured in The 24th are fictional characters created for the film, inspired by real accounts of the historic riot and trial. William Boston, played by Trai Byers (Empire, Selma), was inspired by real Buffalo Soldier Charles Baltimore.

Supporting cast members include Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder, The Birth of a Nation), Bashir Salahuddinn (Top Gun: Maverick, A Simple Favor), Mo McRae (Sons of Anarchy, The Flight Attendant), Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump, Con Air), Thomas Haden Church (Spider-Man 3, Wake Up Dead Man), and Tanya Chisholm (High School Musical 2, Big Time Rush).

The 24th was originally set to premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest festival, which was cancelled due to the pandemic, instead debuting on Video on Demand (VOD). Despite this setback, the military drama fared well with critics and even better with audiences, sitting at 79% and 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.

From June 27, the film will be available to stream for free for Netflix's U.S.-based subscribers, offering the in-depth portrayal of an often-overlooked aspect of American history.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 5:19 PM.