Spike Lee kills me. The brother can't just make a movie - it's always gotta be a "Spike Lee joint". Luckily, cinematic history couldn't, wouldn't and shouldn't have it any other way. Da 5 Bloods is Lee's latest installment in a slew of films that are worthy of being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". As we follow a group of old heads on the unlikeliest of an adventure through their old Vietnam stomping grounds, Spike Lee propels us into a story we've never seen before that feels all too familiar. His spin on the concept of an "American war drama" is one that anyone, regardless of age, race or cinematic mastery, can connect to and enjoy. It's not perfect, but, full transparency (*looks around, leans in*)...this could be Lee's fifth film preserved in the National Film Registry.
Da 5 Bloods starts off with "the band's back together" vibes as we meet all but one of our leading Motown-era men and former Vietnam soldiers. Past their prime, but ripe for a journey, Paul (Delroy Lindo), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), and Otis (Clarke Peters) link up in humid Vietnam. After their hellos, hugs and too-cool handshakes, the four reacclimate to the treacherous environment with the assistance of a local guide named Vinh (Johnny Nguyen). Before the fun begins, Otis reconnects with an old flame named Tiên (Lê Y Lan) and Paul receives an unwanted visit from his son, David (Jonathan Majors). Maps in hand, bearings gotten and business arranged, the four embark into the jungle to locate the remains of their fallen friend Stormin' Norman (Chadwick Boseman) and a valuable belonging buried along with him. Through their insightful stories, brotherly squabbles, and personal struggles, the group finds more than they bargained for in this historical and action-packed expedition to the Promised Land.
Point blank: I loved this movie. Here’s three reasons to watch it and one reason to not watch it.
Here's why you should watch Da 5 Bloods:
1. Spike Lee Is As Spike Lee Does
Spike Lee is unforgettable. He's "5'5", the world's biggest Knicks fan and wears ridiculous glasses. On top of that, he makes the most distinguishable movies in Hollywood. He's got so many signature and stylistic features:
- The camera looking down/actor looking up (and vice versa) frame
- The overly dramatic close-up
- The shopping cart down the aisle glide with the overly dramatic close-up
- The overtly intimate romance scene with decadent strings in the background
- The brass-driven, high-octane "coming to Jesus" moments
- The "in your face" history lessons
- The tasteful (historical) and cheesy (cinematic) references
- The screenplays that show up like stage plays
- The clear and committed point of righteousness ("You Will Not Kill Paul") near the climax
- The "boo-yah"/"How you like me now?" ending
...that it's impossible to act like you don't know whose movie this is. Lee's unique and somewhat idiosyncratic approach to filmmaking is what has gotten him to the point of being placed on (Black) cinema's Mount Rushmore. And he gives it to us in Da 5 Bloods, almost as classically as ever.
2. "Read This, but Just Be Yourselves"
That's probably what Spike Lee told the main characters, honestly. He probably had them do an hour or two of hiking in Thailand (where much of the movie was filmed), run their lines and do a couple meals, but other than that, these guys come across as real friends. "Da 5 Bloods", which already paints them as a tight-knit gang, are a group of brothas who made it out of a war they wanted no parts of. Delroy Lindo (a British-born Jamaican, fun fact) is the troubled head honcho who you hate, but can't help but love (e.g. West Indian Archie from Malcolm X). Isiah Whitlock, Jr. is the whimsical sidekick who makes his voice heard at every opportunity (e.g. Clay Davis from The Wire). Norm Lewis is the senatorial, dashing gentleman with a mind for what's "right" and a politician's smile (e.g. Senator Ed Davis from Scandal). Clarke Peters is the instinctive and intelligent thinker he's always been (e.g. Lester Freamon from The Wire). Moreover, this film is literally one big reunion. This is Lindo's first film with Lee since 1995, Peters first with Lee since 2012, Whitlock Jr.'s sixth project with Lee and Peters and Whitlock did The Wire together for years! While Lee's directing and Kim Coleman's casting bring this ensemble together beautifully, the performances will make you think this is a biopic, where the main characters are playing themselves (which it sort of is and they sort of are, but semantics).
3. History, Happenings and Homage
Dr. Brother Professor Spike Lee, African-American & Diaspora Studies. If he taught at Vanderbilt, that would be his full title. If you know Lee, you know that his ability to keep Black history out of his work is as strong as Tyler Perry's ability to keep an abusive and profane Black man out of his. In Da 5 Bloods, Lee fires up the projector to school us on our rich lineage (with pictures and all). From Kwame Ture to Milton L. Olive III to Crispus Attucks, we sit front row for a crash course on the struggle of the Black man in American conflicts.
Moreover, Lee (as he's known to do) makes our music instrumental as the accompaniment to his rich lessons. Marvin Gaye is riddled throughout, along with The Temptations and Curtis Mayfield. What makes these scenes even better is that he seamlessly connects what happened then to what's happening now. With his brash plays on "Blacks for Trump" and the constant references to racial tension (that's more racial and tense than ever before), it's as much of a fantastical adventure as it is social commentary.
Lastly, Lee reminds me of my dad: he randomly (yet tastefully) pulls out lines, phrases and "remember whens" whenever he can. Whether it's a classic Whitlock line, nightclubs straight out of Apocalypse Now, or the iconic pull from Treasure of Sierra Madre, Lee's finished product is a cornucopia of cinematic nods.
Here’s why you shouldn’t watch Da 5 Bloods:
1. You Know Black Folk Overdo Stuff Sometimes
As you can see, I love Spike Lee. However, that does not mean there isn't such a thing as "too much Spike". This is a movie, yes, but there are times throughout the film when Lee takes his style and...it's like his style is soil from a huge and bountiful garden. We love what that soil does, but it feels like (as the film goes), Lee tracks that soil into the house and walks it all over the place. There were times when I asked myself, "Are trumpets really necessary here, Spike?" There were times this enacted screenplay came across as more of a classic stageplay. I understand it's just a movie, but there were times when I couldn't believe some of the seemingly simplest details (e.g. I can't name a single old Black man over the age of 60-70 that's carrying over 100 pounds through tens of miles of humid jungle). Lee sort of throws these things at us to run with, but they might make some of us take pause.
I highly recommend seeing Da 5 Bloods. Some won't. Either way, I Scene That.
