Released: 12th June 2020 (Netflix)
Length: 155 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: Delroy Lindo, Jonathon Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Chadwick Boseman, Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Mélanie Thierry and Jean Reno
Films portraying the Vietnam have often been very direct in their portrayal, focusing mainly on the grisly ground conflict that dragged on for years. Da Five Bloods is a different take on the bloody Cold War conflict, one that blends the horrors of the jungle with the struggle for black rights across both sides of the Pacific. It’s a truly excellent production as a result.
We follow Paul (Delroy Lindo), his son David (Jonathon Majors), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), a closely knit group of army veterans referring to themselves as “Da 5 Bloods”. The titular group were an African-American unit in Vietnam who stumbled across a stash of gold in the ravaged jungle. The discrimination of the time period meant they could never keep it for themselves, so instead they bury the valuable bars and return decades later, intending to share it among their communities. With Vietnam at peace and local guide Vinh (Johnny Trí Nguyễn) helping out, it appears to be a simple pick-up job at first, but as the men venture back into that harsh quagmire, they find themselves caught up in a desperate race with old scars far from healed on both sides. Without giving anything away, other groups also desire the gold and the old conflict begins to reappear. The action mostly unfolds in the present day, but when looking into past events, the film pivots to a letterboxed format to emphasise the lo-fi technology of the time. These flashbacks are just as emotionally charged as the character’s determination and brotherhood shines through, with detail gradually being revealed as the film racks up its intensity.
The characters of Da 5 Bloods mirror the film’s shifting tone; at first, you’ll grow to care for the leading group very quickly. Their camaraderie is close and sincere; having known each other since the 1960s, they share a collective desire to do right by their people. But their own desires are also greatly emphasised; for example, Otis seeks to reconcile with a woman he left behind and Eddie looks to pay off some debts. The four men all had their own experiences in Vietnam, but Delroy Lindo’s Paul is certainly the most pronounced; there comes a breaking point for him and the intense look in his eyes is a gritty recreation of post-traumatic-stress-disorder. This in turn, weighs heavily on David as it creates a strain between the two of them. The fifth and final member of the group, Chadwick Boseman as “Stormin Norman”, is the most righteous member of the unit who fuels their desire to find the gold. Despite being killed in action in forty years earlier, his presence lingers on, especially for Paul. What’s the most impressive about the characters is that every one of them is forced to confront past traumas in unrelentingly visceral ways; the opposing sides all have their own psychological baggage and the film takes great care in showing all of it in a sensitive manner. The cast take the material and portray it with fearsome dedication, capturing the physical and mental struggles to reinforce the narrative’s impact.
Da 5 Bloods does a fantastic job of getting across the violence that hides within a seemingly reconciled setting. The shots are incredibly concise, showing every detail of the environments; as the sun bleats down on the area and civilization fades away, the film’s grittiness slowly comes to light. Sequence shifts are clearly defined by the side bars moving smoothly back and forth to indicate the time distance. The original score by Terence Blanchard appears hopeful at first, swelling with emotion as the men draw near to their prize and allowing the audience to share in their joy. Yet it rings hollow when the bloodshed erupts; here the music is completely absent, stressing the brutality of the violence that rears its ugly head after so long. When it does kick into gear, the action is delivered with an unflinching realism that captures the same violence that unfolded over forty years ago, a highly authentic effort from start to finish.
The shared trauma of past and present is beautifully conveyed in Da Five Bloods, a distinctly human drama that pulls you into the character’s gut-wrenching personal struggles and lays the brutal consequences on thick. The way it leverages real history to fuel its story and characters is brilliant enough, but its relevance and power only reach higher in the modern events we’re currently living through.
Rating: 5/5 Stars (Exceptional)
Comments