Synopsis: Four African American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
I will kick this off by saying you can not misrepresent the importance of this film and the time at which it came out. The message within the film is something that needs to be heard on so many levels. The fact that black men represented 32% of the men that served in this war but represented only 11% of the US population is a joke. It’s deplorable to think that we had Black men fight for this country only to come home to hatred and racism.
When you have a film that will be in two different eras, it is optimal to get the color palette right. The film is as aesthetically pleasing as you will ever get. Spike Lee always has a beautiful film, and he delivered it once again.
Delroy Lindo has been making films for 44 years and has flown under the radar for far too long. The writing for his character is pivotal, he is the film, and he has to exceed his role expectations. He pours his heart out into this role; every line he had in this film delivered with passion. Lindo has several scenes throughout that rip you into a hundred pieces. Within each film’s act, we watch this man unravel, and he becomes more and more unpredictable. He turned his back on his son, his brothers, and fends for himself. The portrayal of a lost soldier is so riveting and is part of an inside look of what real life feels like post-war.
The biggest problem I had with this film was the score. Spike tends to do a remarkable job of enhancing his films with his score, and this film was the opposite. It felt very overbearing at times, and in moments where when silence, or dialogue, would have worked, we had the roar of the score instead.
The film clocked-in at two hours and thirty-four minutes, and it seems like it was 4 hours long. The first hour and half of the film were drugs out far too long. The last hour of the film packed a serious punch that made you want more of that.
The importance of the story is something that I will not soon forget. Spike Lee, the cast, the crew poured their heart into this film. It had a message that conveyed that message, and I hope everyone hears it.
The Verdict: *** 1/2 out of *****
Da 5 Bloods hits its stride more in the last hour of the film. It finds its groove that I wish it would have in the first hour and a half. Between the runtime and the overbearing score, it took away what could have been a great film. Lindo is hands down going to walk away with a TON of film nominations this fall, and rightfully so as he was the heartbeat of this film. I wish I would have been able to experience this film inside the movie theater.
Family, Faith, Film and Football.
