With a filmography that spans back to the early eighties, Spike Lee got an understandably deserving second wind thanks to 2018’s BlacKkKlansman. From the critical praise to the Oscar win, the film brought back Lee from an…”interesting” (to say the least) point of his career where it almost seemed like the biggest splashes he made were his comments about other big films at the time. Personally, as someone who was angry with himself for taking too long to watch Do the Right Thing, it was great to see Lee’s talent and passion exude from the screen like his earlier work. However, I didn’t forget what he made before BlacKkKlansman so when his next film was announced as a Netflix Original Film, I was hoping for his return to form to continue rather than possibly reverting back to making another Miracle of St. Anna or Oldboy. With all that in mind, I sat down in the dark to get a semi-cinematic experience prepped for Spike Lee’s latest joint: Da 5 Bloods.
Da 5 Bloods follows four Vietnam veterans (Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Norm Lewis) returning back to Vietnam in the modern day. The vets are on a mission to head back into the Vietnamese jungle in order to retrieve the remains of their squad leader (Chadwick Boseman) now that a recent mudslide has made his burial easier to find. However, through flashbacks to the Vietnam War era, it is discovered that they have another goal as well: finding the cache of gold they were planning on taking decades prior. Feeling like the perfect way to put their fallen squad leader to rest properly, the vets head in with a guide to see the sights, reminisce, and unexpectedly deal with their demons. Unsurprisingly, things don’t go as planned with one of the vets’ sons (Jonathan Majors) crashing their mission being the least of their worries.
To put it bluntly, Da 5 Bloods is Spike Lee taking his quirks, talent, and politics to create a film that is unabashedly his, hopefully putting any rumors to rest that Netflix’s money was going to push him to produce something more “middle of the road.” On the contrary, Da 5 Bloods is louder, longer, and more prominently political than his previous film, feeling eerily timed as its opinions on the history of black oppression in the United States (as well as its ties to black involvement in the Vietnam War) emits the same anger that is fueling protests across the country right now. From abrupt cuts to pictures of black Vietnam soldiers to graphic footage of atrocities against the Vietnamese, the film couldn’t pretend it was being apolitical even if it wanted to. It even bleeds into the main characters organically with Delroy Lindo’s Paul being a unique example, portraying a veteran with the disdain of the American government yet is fully willing to accept ideas like Trump’s wall due to the xenophobia that grew inside him during his time in Vietnam. While Lee exhibits the same “subtlety” that he did with the political stances in BlacKkKlansman, the stances in Da 5 Bloods feel integrated a bit better into the narrative and characters, resulting in a film that is exceptionally on the nose yet never gets to the point where the film is talking down to the audience.
Speaking of the characters, Da 5 Bloods has a strong cast. The lead actors portraying the Bloods are great across the board with each one feeling unique in their own way. Clarke Peters’ Otis is the “wise one” of the group, Norm Lewis’ Eddie is supportive and shines in a few scenes, Isiah Whitlock Jr.’s Melvin is fun and the closest to the comedic relief, and Delroy Lindo’s Paul is by far the most captivating performance of the entire film. Even if his conservative leanings are omitted from the discussion, Lindo gives Paul the raw magnetism he needs to give him the highest highs and lowest lows, even using elements like his PTSD and his son David to amplify Paul’s demons to a frustrating degree. Sure, after the four leads, the ensemble is left with very little to chew on throughout the majority of the film but standouts like Johnny Tri Nguyen’s Vinh, Jonathan Majors’ David, and Chadwick Boseman’s “Stormin’” Norman help bridge the gap for the other ensemble players. It’s obvious that not everyone shines in the film but once the leads begin to bounce off one another, anyone can understand why these four are enough on their own.
In addition to the cast, the film’s cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigil is great. The shots with the backdrops of Saigon or rural Vietnam are fantastic, even going so far as to feeling naturalistic in its modern-day camerawork. The cinematography is given an added dimension with its flashbacks, selling the vibe of authentic footage with a smaller aspect ratio, film grain, and the occasional background audio that sounds like film going through a period-appropriate handheld camera. This is certainly not a new technique but Sigil’s execution is probably one of the best ways I’ve seen it done, even going so far as to not catching me off-guard when footage of the Bloods are mixed in with real Vietnam footage. The well done cinematography is so surprising at times that I genuinely believe most people wouldn’t expect it to be a Spike Lee joint if shown a random clip although, at the same time, shots like Chadwick Boseman sternly putting his fist close to the camera while holding an M16 in his other hand exudes major Spike Lee energy to the point where it’s delightfully obvious.
Now as much as I enjoy these elements of the film, Da 5 Bloods is, in my opinion, not as good as BlacKkKlansman. While I do believe its character development is stronger than Lee’s previous film, there are several little issues that don’t kill Da 5 Bloods but are numerous enough to be noticeable. Odd editing choices throughout, instances where scenes go a tad too long, bizarre character choices, and an abrupt ending are some of the examples that range from nitpicks to raising eyebrows with little to no explanation. However, my biggest issue with the film is its transition into the third act, introducing antagonists that feel too little too late. They are certainly hinted at in the film but scarcely, leading to a climax that forces a “good vs. evil”-esque scenario that feels contradictory to the film’s stance on the grey areas surrounding the aftermath of the Vietnam War itself. There’s even a potential angle to take with the conflict that builds directly into said grey area but it’s squashed immediately, culminating in a finale that works well enough but is noticeably unpolished compared to the rest of the film.
Despite all that, as credits began to roll, I knew for certain that Spike Lee and Netflix’s collaboration was not a failure. While some elements keep the film from being as good as Spike Lee’s return to form, Da 5 Bloods shows that his form is still there and is as strong as ever. With a fun premise, a talented cast, and great cinematography, the film brings a quality addition to Netflix that is sorely needed at this time. Whether you’re a Spike Lee fan or a sucker for films dealing with the Vietnam War, Da 5 Bloods is a great time that, despite its two-plus hour runtime, thankfully goes by. In the end, with an even stronger urge to go back and catch up on classic Spike Lee, I’m hoping that whatever follows up Da 5 Bloods keeps Lee’s hot streak going because, honestly, I’m down for anything if he keeps churning quality films like this one out.