User reviews

Spike Lee is one of the most interesting filmmakers out there. His films have a lot to say and he isn't afraid to voice his opinions. I thought BlacKkKlansman was pretty good but this film is definitely a step down from that.

Da 5 Bloods is about four soldiers that return to Vietnam years after fighting in the Vietnam War and try to find their fallen squadron leader and the gold they all hid.

This film really put me on the fence. There are parts of it which I like and other areas which I didn't like. I get what Spike Lee was trying to convey relating to African Americans in the war and the problems with it but I feel his execution of the subject was lacklustre.

A few things I did enjoy were the four main cast members. At the very beginning of the film I really felt a sense of camaraderie between them and I especially liked watching Delroy Lindo's performance throughout. The use of archival footage added to the realism of the film with some creating a very intense and uncomfortable feeling to the viewer. I thought the changing aspect ratios worked for the most part. The war scenes that were shot in 4:3 seemed like footage that was actually filmed long ago.

Apart from that, the film is flawed. A huge technique which bothered me throughout was how Lee wanted to tell the audience the film's themes. There are many moments where the characters just talk about the film's themes without us trying to figure it out ourselves. It gets to a point where it feels preachy. Clearly subtlety is not a strong factor in this film. There's a sequence where a character miraculously finds something which seemed way too convenient for that to happen. The dialogue was pretty bland and I wasn't a fan of some of the editing choices. With a runtime of 2 hours 30 minutes, it could've been cut down to be a tad shorter as some scenes drag.

I don't think Da 5 Bloods is as bad as some people say it is or as good as some critics say it is. There are good parts to it but it's unfortunate Lee took a few bad decisions to convey a story that had potential. You can watch it if you want but I would skip out on this one.

There's a lot of really cool stuff going on in this movie, but the directing and writing gets in the way. Ultimately, the movie tries to link the Viet Nam war and racism, and fails miserably. In trying to fight the two different wars, it loses a lot.

There's a lot of issues with the movie, but they come down to three issues: 1) It needs to decide which movie it's remaking. It basically tries to combine Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Apocalypse Now, and Three Kings and fails at it because of how different the three movies are. 2) The length; this movie could have been told much more effectively in almost half the time. I know it's trying to combine three movies, but that's no excuse for just taking too much time on things. 3) The over-the-top racism. I know this is a weird call, but the movie could have been a lot more effective had it toned down the racism. Also, some of the incidents involved contribute to the length of the movie without really adding anything.

The apparent lack of any military knowledge on the part of Lee (the sheer number of military gaffes, such as salutes and ammunition) as well as the obvious call-backs to movies involved keep throwing watchers out of the movie.

This had the potential to be an incredible movie, especially as the acting is incredible and the cinematography is gorgeous, but it's just too long and too many issues to be even a satisfactory movie.

Nothing about "Da 5 Bloods" works. Nothing. In fact, it's so arrogant in it's premise and execution that it almost pulls off a sort of B-Movie charm. Not a complement. Here's a bunch of great actors with plenty of scenery to chew up and a script that assumes a certain weight that it can't quite deliver. What's left is a laughably self-serious movie that looks like garbage, is filled with leaden emotions, and betrays a couple of veterans actors slumming for the privilege of working with the ultimate hot/cold writer-director.

When Lee is on, he's one of the best filmmakers of the last fifty years - full of substance and style. But when he's off, you get overheated tripe like "Bloods" - a film that manages to be hilarious when it's supposed to be thinking, and deadly somber when we're supposed to be winking. Memorable only as a great misfire for everyone involved.

Seems Spike Lee has caught the George Lucas disease regarding pruning back an out-of-control bush of a movie. You have a couple of main themes in this very preachy but often action-packed movie about Vietnam War Vets trying to reconcile their pasts and improve their lots in life. But there's like three-movies-in-one here and Spike Lee seems to have fired the editor who should have removed 30 minutes of drag from this often dramatic effort. Interesting but overly long, sentimental in bizarre places, preachy nearly beyond redemption.

I really wanted to like this movie, but the writing was all over the place and the pace was so boring. This is not a classic war movie, it's just a bunch of guys complaining how they got treated badly by the man. Just boring.

There are enjoyable aspects to this movie, certainly... but as a whole, it feels disoriented. And I'd place the blame (and the credit) on director Spike Lee's directorial choices.

An aspect of his directorial style I loved was the 4th wall breaking monologues as delivered by actor Delroy Lindo in the final act of the movie... It was a creative choice that I felt added more weight to the character. But then there are other aspects of Lee's style that just doesn't do it for me... And as was in his last feature BlacKkKlansman... he has a tendency to be overbearingly loud about his messaging when in fact he doesn't have to be. The historical contexts added into the movie (as displayed through a collection of images interrupting the flow of the movie) feel unnecessarily preachy in a script that has very little to do with any of it.

Leaving all that aside, there's still a little charm left in the movie, courtesy of the chemistry the lead actors share on screen. And they all do a great job with the material handed to them, although I felt like the script they were working with could have been a little more accommodating to their talents. The script... although follows a very interesting premise, fails to meaningfully add any depth to it all.

Overall, I'm not saying I hated it, but it's a movie that's very difficult to love. I have nothing but respect for Spike Lee as a director, but this just doesn't do it for me.

A Spike Lee Joint. Those familiar with his work will recognize his trademark style mixed with homage from some of the most brilliant war films of all time. Thats not to say Spike Lee rips anyone off, but instead incorporates themes and elements from some all time classics (no need to list references here). The film is incredibly relevant in these times, and can be a difficult watch, but a necessary one. Spike's film can seem disjointed at times but in an incredibly artistic way. Not everyone will appreciate this. I could go on and on about the brilliant oscar worthy performances of the actors, but let's be honest, you're either gonna watch this or not. Watch This.

Film Director Spike Lee is back in form behind the camera with another whiplash piece of Cinema. Da 5 blood explores four Black Vietnam veterans back on war soil to retrieve lost gold left by a fallen soldier played by Chadwick Boseman. In this Film, the use of flashback is what stings like a dagger forcing the viewer to ponder about how memory can be an affliction , especially in the context of War. Spike Lee sets the past in the present by having the main characters re-living war memories at their actual old age. This technique puts the emphasis on how war can be a never ending cycle even where the battlefield is absent. Fine acting also helps this movie get his point accross, but man, here, actor Delroy Lindo shines with his portrayal of a war veteran facing his demons. Different themes can be observed in this film, one element that caught my attention is the idea of how humans failed to love. Although Americans usually claim to be God fearing Christians who are buddy with The Christ, love clearly slipped off their hands by throwing themselves into war. The decision by the big wings to go to war was a decision that would mark humanity for ever. The film is well written, has a good score and a fine reminiscing use of music with a brillant use of Marvin Gaye's accapella. Spike also uses tactics of framing and re-framing which puts the viewer in sync with time and perspective.

If you love Cinema and respect an acute vision, do not skip this piece of Filmmaking, you will feel the love.

A tagline full of promise, which foreshadowed an essential work on the institutional and systemic racism of the colonial powers and their crimes, both domestic and overseas.

After a powerful and excellent introduction that lives up to our highest expectations, the problem lies in the clumsy plot development and messy film aesthetics between this very promising beginning and a similar conclusion.

With the notable exception of a few scenes that prove the rule, the story is too erratic and hazy to give the film the grandeur it deserves. Because it is America-centric and fails to apply genuine anti-imperialist analyze with a consistent depiction of Vietnam as nothing more than a war.

Much as I admire Spike Lee's talent and audacity, this film just didn't work for me. Too many preposterous plot points while the motivations (of everyone, it seemed) were never clear. The whole thing was just confusing.

And yes, disjointed.

... and if you're looking for Vietnam war action, don't watch. But if you want a movie about friendship, PTSD, racial tension, usa's (dubious) role in history? Watch.

Looks like Spike got lazy and called this one in. Daughter conceived 50 years ago looks like a 25 year old, the mother looks 40, not 65. Gold got washed away in a mudslide but went uphill? Plot mimics Treasure of Sierra Madre, gold drives men to insanity due to selfishness. Hard to follow the flashbacks because the younger men looked like the older men. Would have been a 10 if final editing was not a rush job.

Since his first true feature film She's Gotta Have It in 1986, Spike Lee has remained one of the most passionate and hard-working filmmakers in the industry, with each of his projects being born from the mind of an outspoken individual who isn't afraid to tackle issues and subject matters others would do all they could to avoid.

While this passion has made for some outstanding individual results and moments, Lee has also continued to be one of the most eclectic directors when its comes to quality control, with audiences unsure whether they are getting a new masterpiece or a genuine dud, such is the wide ranging variation of his projects.

For every Do the Right Thing, The 25th Hour or BlacKKKlansman there's an Oldboy, Miracle at St. Anna or Red Hook Summer, works of an artist that sometimes loses focus on quality control in his quest to tackle the often controversial material his bringing to life.

One of his most high-profile releases of the last decade, Lee's first feature since the Oscar winning success of BlacKKKlansman is his long time coming Vietnam passion project Da 5 Bloods, a well-cast Netflix production that shines a light on black service man in the Vietnam war, whilst also offering a thrilling treasure hunt plot-line with aging African American veterans returning to the battlefields of the war torn country.

It's an incredibly intriguing set-up and one that allows Lee to explore topical race related scenarios while also operating in one of his biggest cinematic playgrounds yet but this two and a half hour exercise is the type of let-down of a film that is littered throughout Lee's career, as his poor pacing, editing, story developments and intrusively scored effort continually disappoints throughout.

Loaded up with a cast full of talent with Delroy Lindo, The Wire's Clark Peters and Isiah Whitlock Jr, Jean Reno and Black Panther himself Chadwick Boseman all involved, Da 5 Bloods appears on paper to be ripe for the best type of Lee film but with a collection of mostly unlikable characters, long in the tooth scenarios and situations and an abundance of atrocious plot contrivances (hello gold discovery during a toilet break), Lee's exercise has too many flaws to overlook and more often than not feels amateurish, not the work of an Oscar winning writer.

It's not to say the film is bereft of good ideas or moments, there are numerous touching scenes exploring the effect of war on these man, particularly in how they returned to a country that seemed to not value their services or still continued to judge them by their skin color and some of the interplay between the experienced actors makes for both funny and heartfelt viewing but too often than not Lee is hammering his audience over the head with the films topics with all the care of a sledgehammer, instead of refining his product into a polished offering it was so desperately in need of becoming.

Final Say -

A hugely disappointing effort from Lee, Da 5 Bloods may have found its share of critical acclaim but while its themes and subject matter should be commended, as a film; this Netflix release is as unpolished and unfocused as they come.

2 gold bars out of 5

Whoa....this was a hell of a ride! Now, if you are expecting Da 5 Bloods to be a movie in the sense of a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, it might not work for you. I am not sure myself it worked for me but I didn't feel like I could just ignore it either. This is like a pile of political, emotional and historical statements not necessarily linked in one single bundle. At times it ends up being a Tarantino-like mess, but with relevance. It is surely timely, it is heavily politically loaded, it is emotional and intense, angered but also ironical and lighthearted at moments. Maybe not to be judged, let alone rated, but just to be absorbed.

Sometimes it has the atmosphere of a comedy movie. The movie has good actings, good edition and photography, but it felt like empty critics without fundament were more important than a good story for the director. The thread had a big potential, but surely the director couldn't reach it.

Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods is one of the movies that got away (thanks again to streaming). But as hungry as I was for something new to watch in the COVID-induced media drought, Lee's 2013 remake of Park Chan-wook's Oldboy - as well as his behavior during the marketing stages of said remake, documented in the YMS review - made me a bit uncertain. He's not the worst person in the world to humor with box office scrilla (Lord knows I can separate the art from the artist when it comes to someone as awful as Roman Polanski), but there's something especially infuriating in being, well, a general prick.

But yes, separating the art from the artist is useful and Lee the filmmaker is no doubt skillful. However, what might make him irritating here is the un-subtlety with which he allegorizes modern politics (sometimes in ways that conflate the past and present in reductive ways, as popularized by a few recent protests you may have heard of, mainly on the trustworthy and honest news source that is Instagram).

Released on Netflix, Da 5 Bloods dropped at an especially opportune time, but Spike Lee's topical (and extra profitable) hatred of the current US administration isn't the only thing this film has going for it. Much of it plays stylistically like an Apocalypse Now love letter, partly taking place during the Vietnam War and focusing on African-American veterans who go back to finish something they recall starting long ago; the shifts in eras are signposted by endearing differences in picture quality and aspect ratio, with some parts looking authentically "Sixties".

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Led by Delroy Lindo, the all-black cast is pretty fantastic - Chadwick Boseman is better here than in Black Panther and it is a wondrous sight to once again see such The Wire regulars as Clarke Peters and Isiah Witlock Jr. Its B-movie influences are also pretty fun, albeit not in a way that ruins the more seriously-minded social criticism.

Even when the film is a little obvious (see above) it admittedly isn't ashamed; its causticness remains consistent through the comedy as well as the truly eye-popping and uncomfortable bits (alas, the segues between comedy and drama aren't always the most seamless). As I implied, Lee is friendly to the camp that believes all black people have necessarily had the same experiences through almost all eras in all Western and Nordic countries, but his observations when it comes to forms of racism that inexplicably still linger, most notably within law enforcement, are upsettingly accurate - let's not worry about whether the rest of Lee's commentary is equivalent to mooning Trump and running off (recall the cartoony patriarch Donald Strutt, or whatever the heck is name was, from the otherwise thoughtful Beatriz at Dinner).

In the end, I'd say I land at a 3.5 out of 5 for this particular Netflix original. Am I being fair? To be honest with y'all, I find it difficult to assess media in general after the final season of Netflix's sci-fi thriller Dark, released at the end of last month, set a whole new standard for audio-visual storytelling; as I see it, conceptual ambition on that level (both in terms of convoluted plotting and existentialist weight) has never been quite so meticulous or internally consistent in execution. I feel I just don't look at media quite the same way as I used to. Da 5 Bloods is a fine film but it is absolutely not the best thing you'll find on Netflix at the moment.

Will I mention it on my end-of-the-year retrospective? Honestly, it depends on how many more movies will actually get completed and released this year. I do have some "arguably from 2019" films that I can cite (Waves and Little Women being the best), due to their delayed theatrical releases near me, but boy am I longing for things to go back to normal. After all, if it weren't for the lockdown crap, shouldn't the Aladdin remake be getting a remake soon?

A word on my recent absence (provided you read this on my blog and not on, say, IMDb): I've been beating around the bush too long in my private life and have been rather busy making some actually tangible steps towards, for lack of a better term, something new (not made more accessible by a regrettable period of procrastination in my student life and various despairing strikes to my family). I also traveled the Stockholm Archipelago to ease my mind, which did wonders outside of feeling a bit distant the first night at the cabin. Despair is but one reason I haven't reviewed anything since June. The other concerns the effects of a certain virus that halted the film industry, both in terms of distribution and production.

'Da 5 Bloods (2020)' is engaging and alarming. It confronts its audience with some harsh truths and, at times, is an uncomfortable experience because of it. It's also an important experience, though, as it tangles with themes of exploitation, racism, post-traumatic stress and war with a surprising degree of nuance. Though the piece is an odd mix of black comedy, traditional action and shocking archive footage, it somehow comes together as a fictional tale that conveys quite a bit of truth. It's effective in almost all its aspects. The thing does feel long but that's principally because it's constantly unpredictable, shifting in tone and, even, genre often within the same scene. Its formalistic elements often catch you off guard, too. At times, it's truly horrifying; I mean, some of its graphic stock footage is the sort of thing you can never unsee. Its frankness is a part of its DNA, though. While it isn't necessarily a fun film, it is one worth watching. It offers a new perspective on an often misrepresented time-period. It rings true despite its fictional plot. 8/10

This movie could have been 90 minutes. But it is overlong, due to the fact that Spike Lee fills up the movie with documentary style cuts, focusing on racism in America. But it just feels so out of touch with the overall arc of the story, which is actually very promising. I dont think that the racism-stuff should have left behind, but i think it would have worked a lot better, if they just toned it down a nutch, without jumping around. With that said, the second half of the movie is very good. Delroy Lindo is amazing, his scenes alone in the jungle are awesome. The final showdown is also very rewarding. But its just the first half that ruins the movie. More than one hour has passed, before something actually happens. And i think a lot of viewers will turn away in that time. I almost did so myself. 2hours and 45 minutes is crazy given a plot, that is very thin, and filled up with out-of-place stuff, that just contributes to lose the overall focus of the movie. 6/10

Challenging, thought provoking, and downright chaotic. Spike Lee's new joint Da 5 Bloods is a wild one, and he does not hold back any punches here. What starts off as a road trip/reunion film about a group of Vietnam vets looking for the remains of their old comrade and their treasure, turns into something brutal and raw. It's a war movie, but it's a movie about humanity too. It doesn't just signify the cost of war and the effects it has on the individual, but the hate that's created from it. What I love about Lee is his insistence on making the audience a part of the film and not just the "observer". When he wants you to see an image he really wants you to SEE it, and boy are there a lot of haunting images in this film. I think what people have to understand is this isn't just about the black experience of the war, it's the experience of being human and the path we walk. The character of Paul is a symbol of someone who chooses to walk the path of hate and how they refuse to stop walking that path. I'm a little bummed that Lee decided to make that character a straight up Trump Supporter as I find that to be less subtle and more likely to trigger people into turning on this movie since that could ignite it into a more politcal conversation. It's like Lee gave up some of the subtle tactics to ensure the audience is receiving what he's getting at but I honestly don't think he neeed too, the dialogue and the characters are profound enough to get that message across. Showing a MAGA hat becomes a little too on the nose and I know people are just gonna trash all over this movie for that reason, but hopefully I'm wrong. This isn't Lee's best film, but it's a deep and interesting one. I love how he cuts between different aspect ratios and makes the flashback scenes look 16MM it made it feel that much more immersive. I think he could've trimmed down the first half as it's at least 20 minutes too long, but that didn't stop me from really feeling moved by what he did here. It's a hard watch, but it's a necessary watch, and it only adds to the conversation right now of the black experience I can't stress that enough. It's a disturbing, violent, and graphic film, but it needs to be seen. 9/10.

Da 5 Bloods (3.5 out of 5 stars).

Da 5 Bloods is a pretty fair war drama film. About foue Vietnam vets that go back to the jungle in modern time to search for their best friend remains while searching for hidden treasure they buried.

The plot is good also focusing on modern times of race and black lives matter concept. The film also shows the struggle each vet is going through mentally and physically. Delroy Lindo delivers a powerful performance that he is struggling with. The cast is good with there performances.

The film does have a sense of style with Spike Lees direction with the narrative switching between Vietnam war to present day. I did not think this was Spike Lees best movie. But it was entertaining. I did have issues with how long the movie was. It was overlong and needed some editing to help with the pacing.

Da 5 Bloods, feels like an awfully relevant film to release right now, providing some powerful imagery and showcasing immersive storytelling. The film has all the makings of a Spike Lee Joint from the high quality cinematography that makes use of a diverse range of film and adds something genuine to the story, as well as provide Oscar Worthy Editing that transitions through aspect ratios smoothly. Spike seems to be on a roll with making some of his most powerful films off the back of his superb Blackkklansman. The performances in the film are Oscar worthy making you feel empathetic to the cause as well as giving insight into the unfairness African Americans faced when it came to the Vietnam War, the two notable performances in this film being Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman, I loved both performances and will be some of my favourites for the year, also Jonathan Majors gives a noteworthy performance as well. The writing for this film is powerful and when needed, builds tension, relationships and the conflicts the characters go through during this film. I will also say the use of real footage throughout the film is extremely powerful and adds an extra layer showing the problems that the USA has faced throughout its history right to this day.

If I were to pick out a flaw with this film it would have to be the score which was quite forgettable and at times didn't match the moment that was presented on film, and at times it could have a minor impact on the scene itself, which was quite disappointing as i found the Blackkklansman score to be memorable and matched the style of the film really well.

Overall, Da 5 Bloods is a film that is extremely relevant and powerful, showing that Spike Lee is still in great form as a director 40 years in and is maybe better than ever. The use of the Vietnam war felt appropriate and the characters felt authentic. The performances were fantastic, and most technical aspects to the film were at an Oscar Level. This is a film that everyone should try.

I'm a fan of Vietnam war films, Full Metal Jacket and Apocalypse Now are among my all time favorites. But this one just left me indifferent, a lot of it I feel flew over my head, felt too forced and just wasn't great film-making.

Its very clearly a film with a political message, and I think an important one at that. But it just keeps repeating it very explicitly over and over again and often goes off on a tangent, ignoring the underlying story and characters completely to trumpet that message yet again. It just feels far too forced at times, instead of flowing naturally through the subtlety of the story.

I think its a film that might speak more to you if you're from an African American background, in which case this review might have been different. But as a European growing up in a place where there was not a single person of a different skin color, I think a lot of the themes and references in this film flew higher over my head than B-52s over Hanoi.

As a film its mediocre at best.The acting is pretty good, by all of the 'bloods' and the scenery is exquisite. But that was largely it from the positive side. The war scenes are not very well done, and come off as cheap/cartoonish at times. The story goes off on too many side tangents with frankly preposterous plot points (in a film far too serious for those to be suitable) that drags it out into a 2.5h long yarn. A lot of that could have ended up on the editing room floor and would have made for a better film. There are numerous clear references to other Vietnam/war films (most notably Apocalypse Now and The Three Kings) and the film tries to take a little from here, a little from there, but in the end just ends up being a bit of a garbled mess with no clear sense of direction of what it wants to be.

Just don't understand why the past actors were also the present actors in the story line, did we not have a budget to cast younger actors to portray the flashbacks? I mean everyone just looked tired and not good at all. Why were there so many corny lines cheesy and lame set ups, and why were the monologues so long and pointless. I got the point a million times, I think I'm more disappointed that I allowed myself to think there would be More knowing there were so many great actors cast. I expected more from Spike.