'Da 5 Bloods' Review
R: Strong violence, grisly images, and pervasive languageRuntime: 2 Hrs and 34 MinutesProduction Companies: 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Rahway Road, Lloyd Levin/Beatriz Levin ProductionDistributor: NetflixDirector: Spike LeeWriters: Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Spike Lee, Kevin WillmottCast: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Jean Reno, Chadwick Boseman, Mohammad TiregarRelease Date: June 12, 2020
The story of four African American Vets — Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) — who return to Vietnam. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes, joined by Paul's concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.
Spike Lee is back with a brand new joint — a joint I kept my head low for because I wanted to be surprised. I had absolutely no idea what Da 5 Bloods was about outside of its title. I went into this movie completely blind and wow... I must say, I’m completely blown away. I did not expect this film to be a fleshed-out original war epic that actually works! Spike Lee made another war movie, but this time it features his signature voice through and through. I started watching this movie at 1 AM (thanks, insomnia), and the entire 154-minute run time was utterly gripping.
Spike Lee has been on a roll telling stories centered on topics that I wouldn’t even fathom thinking about. Although BlacKkKlansman was based on a true story, Da 5 Bloods is completely original, yet, for the most part, it felt more grounded in reality. In this feature, Lee sets his lens on African-American Vietnam War vets. It’s serendipitous to experience a new age revolution for Black lives under a fascist ruler while watching this new movie depict just that, but in the years preceding the Vietnam War. The prologue shows how little America has changed since the ‘60s. Like, America is in the midst of a revolution for the sake of Black lives and Spike Lee is going, “Yeah, this shit ain't new. We’re just repeating history.”The story is set on a band of brothers who call themselves “Da 5 Bloods” who fought in the White man’s Vietnam War, only to return to the country that treats them like shit. By the time they were risking their lives on the mainland, there was a revolution/war for Black civil rights brewing in America... JUST LIKE TODAY! Now, after 50+ years, the remaining friends return to Vietnam to tie some loose ends by bringing their fallen brother Norman’s body home, along with bringing back some treasure they had stowed away. Of course, things don't go as planned. Lee meticulously crafted this hefty narrative as a blend of various genres and styles that feels organic. The movie is part drama, part adventure, part social commentary, and a summer blockbuster all at once. Because of Lee’s passionate and unfathomable knowledge of cinema, there are a ton of tongue-in-cheek homages to films from the late 20th Century inserted via the storytelling and style. I shit you not, the movie goes full Rambo with its over-the-top violence and gore, yet it still maintains its narrative thread. The narrative flows in an enticing non-chronological format where it cuts back to one of their ‘Nam tours with their friend Norman in the midst of their current expedition, but instead of a normal cut, the aspect ratio would change from a widescreen 16:9 format to a 4:3 Letterboxd view, showcasing their time in the war while mimicking the style of a late 20th-Century action flick. Of course, Lee’s signature flair of dolly zooms, extreme close-ups, the fourth wall breaks, and that thing he does where whenever a character references a Black historical figure he treats it like an educational piece — displaying a picture of that figure on screen as the characters describe their significance — are all present, but something that caught me off guard was that it felt as if he was time-jumping himself. During those flashback sequences, Spike Lee channels the voice of his younger, outspoken, and more rebellious spirit through Chadwick Boseman’s character Norman. When he cuts to the present, you hear much of his current pain and exhaustion via the rest of Da Bloods. There are some minor details that I found rather interesting, like Lee going, “To hell with that de-aging shit and hiring younger actors for the leads!”. He made his remaining Bloods play the early-20s versions of themselves. At first, it may feel like two separate movies in terms of tone and style, but you warm up to the flair. When shit starts to hit the fan, everything completely intertwines — and yes, so do the aspect ratios.
The movie is, surprisingly, more mature than I expected, with credit going to Lee’s co-writers Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, and Kevin Willmott. When it comes to depicting trauma and PTSD, the film does a great job tackling the aftermath of war and continuing that struggle in a society where you're always at war. While some subplots are a bit trope-like, especially in regards to war epics of this type, they handle the given themes with thoughtfulness, which helps you sympathize with even the most flawed characters. They don’t try to manipulate you with sound design to emphasize how traumatized they are; the dialogue and the actor’s expressions get the point across. The talented ensemble composed of familiar faces and newer actors is phenomenal. Everyone delivers a great performance but… Delroy Lindo, man. Good luck to his competition during the next awards season because he steals the entire goddamn show. His character Paul is given the most material to work with and Lindo is electrifying. Even when you think the film is slowing down, Lindo revs that shit back up. He delivers a career-best performance that simply can’t be matched, though I’d like to see another mothafucka try. It’s hard to tell how the rest of the year may go as far as movies and actor performances are concerned, but Lindo gave his absolute all and his name better be in the conversation for the rest of the year... if we have an awards season next year. Jonathan Majors. Holy hell. He portrays David, the son of Lindo’s Paul, who joins the Bloods on the expedition so he can grow closer to his dad. Lindo carries a heavy load, but Majors impressively holds his own weight. Their dynamic is so enticing throughout and the more you learn about David, the more that Majors gets to shine. He nearly had me in tears at one point.Da 5 Bloods exudes the vibe of a summer blockbuster that hits all of the major components, including taking you on a larger-than-life adventure, providing you with fleshed-out characters that you care about, being very stylistic with its storytelling, and, above all, incorporating balls-to-the-wall action that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Even when it becomes a bloated action movie that dives heavily into tropes, Lee puts his style first while remaining grounded in the process. I don’t know what else to say. The fact that I watched a 154-minute Spike Lee movie at 1 AM and was too entertained to get fatigued is as big a recommendation as I can give. Good on you, Spike. You got an automatic Best Picture nom in the bag. Rating: 4/5 | 88%
