Da 5 Bloods (2020) **1/2
Spike Lee's newest joint is a mixed bag. Da 5 Bloods (2020) is the story of four African-American veterans who return to Vietnam to find the remains of their squad leader who was killed in battle and the fortune in gold that they left hidden behind. Da 5 Bloods attempts to comment on many things—racism, war, greed, patriotism, brotherhood—but none satisfyingly.
This is partially due to the unfortunate tonal imbalance of the film. There's always humor in Lee's movies but a lot of it falls flat here. Because it's a Spike joint, you know that he's not going to be subtle, but the execution on this one just feels so messy. There are a few dramatic beats that are so shockingly telegraphed and/or poorly edited that it robs them of their emotional weight. And on that editing front, the over 2 and 1/2 hour length of D5B is really felt—there are plenty of scenes that could have ended a minute sooner than they do. D5B also falls prey to numerous storytelling cliches and the action scenes aren't particularly memorable (nor is the cinematography overall).
On the plus side, we have Delroy Lindo, who undoubtedly gives a strong performance, possibly the best of his career, as a sort of conservative Black man (or a politically confused one, at least). But even his best moments are undermined when viewing his role as a whole, which just feels ham-fisted and over the top (then again, look at our president). There are nods to Apocalypse Now (1979) (my review here), The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948), The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) (my review here) and Lee's own Do The Right Thing (1989) (my review here), which are kind of cool. Marvin Gaye songs feature prominently, including a haunting a cappella version of "What's Going On".
I don't always love Spike's films but I respect that he forges his own path, makes the films he wants to make and leaves his stamp on each one. Da 5 Bloods is no different but after a first watch, it's my least favorite of his films that I've seen. It arrives at a timely moment in history but it will be interesting to see how it ages and is reassessed.
You can find my Spike Lee Joints Ranked list here.
This is partially due to the unfortunate tonal imbalance of the film. There's always humor in Lee's movies but a lot of it falls flat here. Because it's a Spike joint, you know that he's not going to be subtle, but the execution on this one just feels so messy. There are a few dramatic beats that are so shockingly telegraphed and/or poorly edited that it robs them of their emotional weight. And on that editing front, the over 2 and 1/2 hour length of D5B is really felt—there are plenty of scenes that could have ended a minute sooner than they do. D5B also falls prey to numerous storytelling cliches and the action scenes aren't particularly memorable (nor is the cinematography overall).
On the plus side, we have Delroy Lindo, who undoubtedly gives a strong performance, possibly the best of his career, as a sort of conservative Black man (or a politically confused one, at least). But even his best moments are undermined when viewing his role as a whole, which just feels ham-fisted and over the top (then again, look at our president). There are nods to Apocalypse Now (1979) (my review here), The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948), The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) (my review here) and Lee's own Do The Right Thing (1989) (my review here), which are kind of cool. Marvin Gaye songs feature prominently, including a haunting a cappella version of "What's Going On".
I don't always love Spike's films but I respect that he forges his own path, makes the films he wants to make and leaves his stamp on each one. Da 5 Bloods is no different but after a first watch, it's my least favorite of his films that I've seen. It arrives at a timely moment in history but it will be interesting to see how it ages and is reassessed.
You can find my Spike Lee Joints Ranked list here.
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