Da 5 Bloods is a Netflix must see

Da 5 Bloods (2020)
R | 2h 34min | Adventure, Drama, War | Now on Netflix

Synopsis: From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a New Joint: 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.

Review: Spike Lee is a master of creating narrative that is engaging, thought provoking, and timely. It often feels like he shot the movie the day before it releases in the way it embraces the immediate, current culture. He is so adept at this that I actually enjoyed a movie about war that is over two-hours long. It is not my go to genre just I was riveted to this one the entire time. There is always cause for editing though and this one could have trimmed a bit of fat. But even those moments pass quickly.

Lee was also wise to bring in the caliber actors – led award winningly by Delroy Lindo – that he did to ground his direction and the powerful script. The ensemble work well together. It is hard to convey a lifetime of friendship and shared tragedy and make it believable to an audience. They feed off each other and their bond is convincing.  They even fight like long term friends; knowing where to hit and when it is too far.  True friends comfort when needed and call out when someone is out of line.

Unlike other Spike Lee joints this one trades the urban city environment for the Vietnamese jungle. Still, Lee is able to capture the same view of racism, injustice, and inner cultural conflict but in a setting not usually seen in his films. The cinematography and backdrop add an additional realism for the characters to emote in. Submersing them in these surroundings was a plus for viewers as well.

The film is a tad long and could have been edited some. Paul and his son David have a volatile relationship. Though this is a driving force of the film I felt that there was a lot of repetitive conversations. It was obvious from the beginning that they had issues. Constantly going back to that was not necessary. Some of that could have been lost and the movie still kept its integrity and power. Of course compared to Netflix’s last Oscar worthy film, THE IRISHMAN, this probably seemed short.

Fans of Spike Lee’s vision will appreciate this film immensely. Lee continues to have his finger not only on the pulse of culture and society but has only gained wisdom in how to present that to the masses. Da 5 Bloods is a powerful film and one to be watched. It is rated R for language, violence and themes so watch accordingly. Nothing is gratuitous or added for shock. Everything fits together nicely to make it a well rounded addition to your Netflix “My List”.

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