Da 5 Bloods
Go! A historical, psychological, brotherhood gem.
Spike Lee Jam Revisits Vietnam.
In a crowd, it would be dark-skinned, sporting orange and blue Jordans, with a glint in its eye, an eyebrow raised and a knowing smile. A reflection of the man himself, a Spike Lee movie is easy to identify. Or more precisely, a Spike Lee Joint. It’s only appropriate that he appropriated an entire term for his movies, since they indisputably live in their own sub-genre. He sits only alongside Quentin Tarantino (reluctantly, given their ongoing “feud”) in terms of stylistic idiosyncrasy, auteur-ship, acceptance into the mainstream and as meaningful influencers on culture for several decades. While his oeuvre extends into a variety of areas, he is best known for his depictions of the black American experience; as seen through the colourful, characterful prism of a man who grew up in parallel with the rise of hip-hop, post-civil rights and rampant US capitalism. His movies are invariably an event.
Despite being his first film on streaming rather than in cinema, Da 5 Bloods (available on Netflix since 12th June) is no different. Boosted by the pulsating trailer, it was already highly anticipated after 2018’s Academy Award-winning BlacKkKlansman. Add to this the heightened prevailing awareness of race issues in the US and it would be hard for its release to have been timed more meaningfully (or, depending of your viewpoint, more cynically).
Despite being his first film on streaming rather than in cinema, Da 5 Bloods (available on Netflix since 12th June) is no different. Boosted by the pulsating trailer, it was already highly anticipated after 2018’s Academy Award-winning BlacKkKlansman. Add to this the heightened prevailing awareness of race issues in the US and it would be hard for its release to have been timed more meaningfully (or, depending of your viewpoint, more cynically).
From Muhammad Ali speaking at the joint’s opening, to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at its close, the hard-edged, tarnished, black steel casing of this film is unapologetic. It’s a kind of eulogy to the incendiary American 60s, and the much forgotten, disproportionately significant role of the dark-skinned men who were conscripted to fight in Vietnam. Lee tells this history in typically asymmetric fashion, lacing real historic footage into semi-historic, fictional imagery; and threading it through a sensational story that, for a time, feels like it could be true.
Vietnam vets and titular “5 Bloods” Paul (Delroy Lindo, The Good Fight), Otis (Clarke Peters, The Wire), Eddie (Norm Lewis, Scandal) and Melvin (Isaiah “Sheeeeeeeeee-it” Whiltlock Jr., The Wire), reunite in a much-changed Ho Chi Minh City, on a quest to recover the bones of their fallen squad leader, Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther); and a chest of gold bars they buried during their final tour. Joined on their jungle trek by Paul’s Son, David (Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco); they are forced to confront personal obstacles of ageing limbs, unresolved issues, greed, lies and betrayal (both recent and long-past), political conflict and Paul’s tightly-coiled, post-traumatic psychological state.
Vietnam vets and titular “5 Bloods” Paul (Delroy Lindo, The Good Fight), Otis (Clarke Peters, The Wire), Eddie (Norm Lewis, Scandal) and Melvin (Isaiah “Sheeeeeeeeee-it” Whiltlock Jr., The Wire), reunite in a much-changed Ho Chi Minh City, on a quest to recover the bones of their fallen squad leader, Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther); and a chest of gold bars they buried during their final tour. Joined on their jungle trek by Paul’s Son, David (Jonathan Majors, The Last Black Man in San Francisco); they are forced to confront personal obstacles of ageing limbs, unresolved issues, greed, lies and betrayal (both recent and long-past), political conflict and Paul’s tightly-coiled, post-traumatic psychological state.
Initially, this “last-hurrah-treasure-hunt” looks like the extent of the film (a kind of hardcore Last Vegas). But around halfway through, quite unexpectedly, an almost entirely different film emerges; morphing into a wild, turbulent combination of Apocalypse Now and Tropic Thunder. References to the former are explicit, as well as to a multitude of culturally significant people, events, and artistry. Most prominent is the soundtrack, largely provided by Marvin Gaye to haunting and stirring effect. Only a granite soul would fail to be moved by the a cappella version of What’s Going On, which carries the film towards its heady climax. His voice and lyrics repeatedly reinforce the emotions of anger, sadness and hope that propel this film.
As it erupts from a drama into an action thriller with (often quite literal) explosive consequences, this rich and spicy, 154-minute stew of ideas and intrigue make it a little unwieldy and at times messy. The original script was reportedly a more unambiguous Vietnam action flick, without any of the racial and historical elements subsequently added by Lee. The repackaging makes certain elements of the film feel hammered together, leaving some of the dents still evident. Nevertheless, with the raw electricity coursing through Da 5 Bloods, Lee’s luminous direction, and some ferocious acting (by Lindo in particular), the dents can easily be forgiven and forgotten in favour of enjoying it as a whole.
Altogether, it all amounts to a psychedelic experience, with significant highs (and a few headaches); slipping between reality and fiction, past and present to reveal painful, deep-lying truths and exciting, visceral imaginings.
So Go! Da 5 Bloods is an unusual, meaningful, timely film; bubbling with vigour.
As it erupts from a drama into an action thriller with (often quite literal) explosive consequences, this rich and spicy, 154-minute stew of ideas and intrigue make it a little unwieldy and at times messy. The original script was reportedly a more unambiguous Vietnam action flick, without any of the racial and historical elements subsequently added by Lee. The repackaging makes certain elements of the film feel hammered together, leaving some of the dents still evident. Nevertheless, with the raw electricity coursing through Da 5 Bloods, Lee’s luminous direction, and some ferocious acting (by Lindo in particular), the dents can easily be forgiven and forgotten in favour of enjoying it as a whole.
Altogether, it all amounts to a psychedelic experience, with significant highs (and a few headaches); slipping between reality and fiction, past and present to reveal painful, deep-lying truths and exciting, visceral imaginings.
So Go! Da 5 Bloods is an unusual, meaningful, timely film; bubbling with vigour.
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