Four African American veterans return to Vietnam for the first time after the war ended to find their fallen brother and leader and claim something they consider rightfully theirs.
The opening sequence hits the nail! Right off the bat, you know exactly Spike Lee’s angle on this one. From Ali’s heroic statement to the following historical footage, Da 5 Bloods promises to be yet another Lee film way ahead of its time. But it isn’t. It most certainly is not. So what happened?
The story is quite an adventure. A sweet and sour and powerful one. The heroes are relatable, and so is their background. Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Jonathan Majors deliver powerful performances. Furthermore, Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography is gripping. So, again, what happened? I’ll start with the music. For a film that mocks Rambo, it surely shares a similar score that accompanies it throughout most of its moments, killing the emotion. Then, there are two major problems. The lesser problem is the editing, which can make or break every film. And in this case, it is at least mediocre. So, what can be worse than mediocre editing? The script! The one-to-many weak subplots overshadow the main plot, which has one-to-many gimmicks. The discovery of gold and body and the team arriving at the right place at the right time are just the tip of the iceberg. Before and after that, it just remains unreasonably and purposelessly convoluted. Shame really. Real shame. If you decide to watch it, enjoy Lindo, not hold back! The best parts of the film.
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Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!
Stay safe!
I normally like Spike Lee films but I think I will give this one a miss.