Da 5 Bloods: Film Review

the characters, mostly done through the character Paul, played extraordinarily by Delroy Lindo. Lindo plays the character with a kind of raw emotion that makes his performance one of the best to come from a Spike Lee joint. There is a monologue that he delivers sort of at the start of the third act that is so powerful, I—I was literally speechless. He needs to be in the awards conversation for this year… #AnOscarForDelroy. As an aside, his character is a Trump supporter in the film, or “President Fake Bone Spurs,” an interesting way to show that not all Black people are the same. Everyone in the cast holds their own. Another standout for me was Clarke Peters, who plays Otis. He is the calming presence in the film and I just thought his performance was strong.

Now, there is one gripe that I have with the film. The film, as it goes along, starts to feel a bit clunky, not because of the themes it tackles, but because of certain plot developments in the latter half of the film. It starts to feel that there are too many objectives for the characters. It starts to turn into a different kind of film, but I think that’s excusable because, at the same time, nothing feels rushed. It begins to feel like a bit too much is going on, but because there are so many strong elements in the film, you really don’t notice it until after. I didn’t. But, I digress.

The film is also a technical marvel. The film succeeds most technically in its cinematography and music. 

First, the film is visually stunning. The cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel is gorgeous. It is very fitting for this film. Also, the film is shown in about 3 different aspect ratios. For the present-day Vietnam scenes before they enter the jungle, it is widescreen. For the present-day Vietnam jungle scenes, it is shown in 16:9, or fullscreen. And for the flashback war scenes, in which, the older actors are not de-aged, but more on that in a moment, it is shown in old school 4:3 aspect ratio and shot on 16mm film, which adds to the war feel. I appreciated the different aspect ratios because I like when obvious things are mentioned subtly. Secondly, the music in the film, the score done by longtime Lee collaborator Terence Blanchard and the Marvin Gaye soundtrack, is excellent. The score is very lush and grandiose. It has a very old Hollywood feel. I also think that the choice of using music from Marvin Gaye’s seminal What’s Going On album was a very wise choice because of the album’s message and it was the music of the time. There’s an acapella version of the song “What’s Going On” that is used in a scene that, without it, would have been very forgettable, but because of it, that scene struck me as one of the most memorable of the film.

Also, as an aside, the actors that play the older characters also play their younger selves, and they are not digitally de-aged. It’s an interesting choice that works. It’s a way to let the audience two things: One, it signifies how the men never really left Vietnam. And two, it draws a parallel between then and now, saying that not much has changed—something that is also accomplished by the inclusion of historical footage.  The editing is another triumph in this film. Like his previous film BlacKkKlansman, Lee has included real historical footage from the Vietnam war. This is a very powerful tool, especially since some of the imagery is gruesome and violent. This is also the most violent Spike Lee joint, but I think it’s appropriate.

Spike Lee has done it again with Da 5 Bloods. It is powerful, emotional, and I think, one of his best films. So, in conclusion, as Da Man Spike Himself would say (or tweet rather), Dis New Joint, Da 5 Bloods, Iz On Sum Fo' Real Sh*t And Iz Among Da Best Dat Spike Has Tah Offa.

Viewed on Jun. 12, 2020 on Netflix

Run Time: 154 minutes

Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and pervasive language