Da 5 Bloods Movie Review: Spike Lee’s ‘Biggest’ Film Is a Harrowing Take on Post-Vietnam War Psyche That Pokes Holes at White Glorification

Da 5 Bloods Movie Review: A Spike Lee movie is always a cause for excitement. The director, who is always the forefront of the black cause movement, has made films that live upto the cause and are great films in their own rights. Expectations are soaring high when it comes to his latest film, Da 5 Bloods, that has released straight on Netflix thanks to present COVID-19 situation. His last film, BlacKkKlansman, was such a terrific piece of cinema, and Da 5 Bloods is the director's most ambitious film to date, even if it isn't the best to come out of his stable of great films. Da 5 Bloods Movie Review: Critics Laud the Spike Lee Film for Its Historical Significance and Topical Relevance.

Da 5 Bloods follows four black Vietnam War veterans - Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) -  who return to the country after 40 years. They are also joined by Paul's estranged son David (Jonathan Majors). The visit's official purpose is to bring the remains of their revered squadron leader Norman (Chadwick Boseman) who was KIA. There is a secret agenda too - they also want to recover tonnes of gold bricks that they had hidden during the battle.

The purpose was to use the money received from selling the gold to help the black support movement, as per Norman's wish. But when gold is involved, expect friendships and agendas to be reforged and things not to go as planned.

Da 5 Bloods looks at the psyche of soldiers who fought in war, deemed by many to be needless apart from assuaging political egocentricity. Like Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, Da 5 Bloods deconstructs the psychological stress the war caused on the soldiers, when they aren't even sure of the reason. The movie even drops a hilarious Easter egg, where Apocalypse Now's banner forms the backdrop to a pub in Vietnam.

It is this portion of the film that works the most, especially when we get to know more about the most interesting character of the film, Paul. Paul is affected the most in his unit during the war, psychologically and this makes him a ticking time-bomb. Yes, he is shown as a Trump supporter and wants the wall built on the US-Mexican border. He has been a bad father to David. But he is also suffering the worst from PTSD, claiming that the ghost of Norman visits him at night. Even during the weak portions, it is the slow devolving of Paul into madness and the absolutely brilliant performance of Lindo that owns the movie. Also, every scene involving a brilliant Chadwick Boseman (in an extended cameo) will leave a deep impact on you. Chadwick Boseman Birthday Special: 10 Interesting Facts About the Black Panther Star That We Bet You Didn't Know!

Watch the Trailer of Da 5 Bloods:

Lee brings spotlight on the role of black community during the wars, and how they are underplayed in popular narrative. It is fun to see the director destroy the white glorification of US army valour in Vietnam war depicted in popular culture, especially in movies like Rambo. Even the Father of the States, George Washington, isn't spared, as one characters points out that he had 123 slaves.

It is not just the white glorification that is put in question here. In another scene, a French black marketer (Jean Reno) asks a rude Paul to carry on believing in the one-sided tale of American valour during World War II.

Lee smartly puts enough clues as how the plot will move ahead. Like the early scene at the pub where the group faces a one-legged Vietnamese boy with crackers predicts the turn of events later.

Lee is also pro at using a collage of real-life videos to make his point. Remember the iconic montage of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville at the end of BlacKkKlansman? Da 5 Bloods begins with a clip of Mohammed Ali confessing why he doesn't want to fight the Vietnam War and ends with a clip of Martin Luther King Jr's denouncing the same, a year before his assassination. There is a montage of clips of atrocities and murders carried out in both USA and Vietnam during the war in the beginning that sets the tone of the film.

Da 5 Bloods also feels very topical, as the movie drops right during the time when America is in the midst of the #BlackLivesMatter protests - the movement also being touched upon in the film.

That said, the occasional jibes on the present Trump administration and white supremacy feel forced, which is surprising for a Spike Lee film. The movie's genre-jumping feels jagged, especially when it enters The Treasure of Sierra Madre territory in the second half. It isn't that the film is not gripping in these portions - I was reminded of China Gate at times, only that these veterans are not looking for lost honour, but lost gold. But the screenplay often wobbles, and feels stretched, with a couple of predictable turns. The subversions don't always work. Maybe Lee is trying to take digs at the adventure films that used to be rage in the '70s and '80s, but the result isn't often consistent.

Yet, the movie hooks you when the focus is on the damaged Paul and his tragic journey towards doom. Even the inclusion of a French heiress turned mine-bomb-sweeper (Mélanie Thierry) and her two associates (Paul Walter Hauser and Jasper Pääkkönen) and the Vietnamese guide (Johnny Trí Nguyễn) add more context to the story.

Two other aspects of the movie also make these portions feel less dragging. Terence Blanchard's score gives it an epic feel, and the use of the late Marvin Gaye's songs add a lovely touch to the film. There is also Newton Thomas Sigel's amazing visuals especially of the Vietnamese jungles. Lee plays around with the aspect ratios that give the films visual meanings in the scenes in which they are used.

Yay!

- Lee's Focus on Black Involvement During Vietnam War and Other Important Events in American History

- Lindo's Performance

- Boseman's Cameo

- The Musical Score and Cinematography

Nay!

- The Wobbly Screenplay

- A Couple of Predictable Turns

Final Thoughts

Da 5 Bloods is not Spike Lee's finest attempt at cinema,nor his boldest. But it is his most relevant and the most scathing film to date, not to mention, his most adventurous too. While the writing isn't always consistent, the director creates a gripping narrative that reels you in right from the very first scene till the emotional finale. Da 5 Bloods is streaming on Netflix right now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2020 05:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).