by Conan Simmons – January 1, 2021 – 8:46 am
During the Vietnam War five U.S. soldiers, ‘Da 5 Bloods’, discover a cache of gold after a skirmish. Their soft spoken leader, Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman) convinces them that the gold should be used for the benefit of the Black community back in the United States. They agree and years later return to Vietnam to fulfill that oath.
The film opens with a montage of film clips detailing the late 1960’s from the Civil Rights Movement to the Anti-War Protests. Jumping to the present day, we are introduced to the veterans Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) meeting at a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. They go to a club called Apocalypse Now and have drinks, discussing their intention of recovering the body of their fallen leader, Stormin’ Norman with their guide Vinh Tran (Johnny Nguyen).
Before they can begin their trek Otis makes arrangements with Tien Luu (Y Lan), a former prostitute turned successful financier, to set up a meeting with Desroche (Jean Reno). The veterans tell Desroche of their plans to retrieve the gold they buried during the war and come to an agreement with the Frenchman to get the gold out of the country tax free.
The veterans set off with their guide and Paul’s son, David (Jonathan Majors) whom they discover has followed them out of concern for his father. Keeping up with the references to Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ they travel up river as Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” plays on the soundtrack. As the film progresses it becomes apparent that ‘Da 5 Bloods’ has far more in common with John Huston’s 1948 classic ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre’ than with any other film.
Along their journey they encounter members of an organization called LAMB, an acronym for Love Against Mines and Bombs, led by Hedy Bouvier (Melanie Thierry) who is accompanied by two companions, Simon (Paul Walter Hauser) and Seppo (Jasper Paakkonen). They also encounter bandits who want the gold for themselves providing an opportunity to paraphrase a famous line from ‘Treasure of the Sierra Madre’. There is plenty of action interspersed with the drama making ‘Da 5 Bloods’ an excellent adventure film.
The present day scenes are at times interrupted with jump cuts back to their days during wartime. These flashbacks serve not only to reveal plot details but to make pointed social commentary on the role Black soldiers had serving in the war. In an outstanding piece of editing they first hear of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination from Hanoi Hannah (Veronica Ngo), the radio propagandist whose purpose is to mentally torment U.S. soldiers. As feelings of rage overtake them it is Stormin’ Norman that guides them to keep their heads on their shoulders.
Spike Lee uses a variety of techniques throughout the film including frequent altering of the aspect ratio. He also makes the daring decision to have the four main actors play their characters in the flashbacks, a nearly 50 year age difference, without any cgi de-aging effects like what was used in Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’. After the initial jarring shot it is easy to forget the age difference as it only emphasizes that they are still living with vivid memories of the war.
There are numerous themes and subjects addressed over the course of the film. Everything from PTSD, fatherhood, U.S. global relations, American history, greed and political ideology. It is the latter that forms the basis of the films most memorable character, Paul. Paul is an outspoken hardcore Trump supporter who believes in building the wall and America first. Often wearing a red Make America Great Again ballcap he is not shy in letting his point of view be known. Even as Spike Lee clearly makes his own political statement in the film he allows for Paul to express his reasoning thereby making an important point that unlike what the media plays up not every Black person votes the same way, which the film acknowledges multiple times.
It is Delroy Lindo’s no holds barred performance as Paul that is the ultimate gem of ‘Da 5 Bloods’. The longtime character actor has never been given a meatier role to shine with and it will undoubtedly earn him an Oscar nomination and most likely the win. There have been a lot of excellent performances in the past year but this is the one that stands out the most. From his panic attack on the boat as he rejects the chicken a merchant is trying to sell him to breaking the fourth wall with an intense monologue whereby he confronts himself and his values. Delroy Lindo is going to win the Oscar for Best Lead Actor.
‘Da 5 Bloods’ will be a major contender this awards season giving Netflix its best chance ever at winning Best Picture. Spike Lee also has his best chance at winning Best Director as well as earning a nomination for Original Screenplay along with his fellow screenwriters Kevin Willmott (they both previously won for Adapted Screenplay on ‘Blackkklansman’) and Danny Bilson & Paul Demeo. The film editing has almost as strong a chance at winning the Oscar as Delroy Lindo does. Chadwick Boseman will be competing with Lindo for Best Lead Actor with his role in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ but I believe it will be for his role here as Stormin’ Norman that will nab the award for Supporting Actor.
‘Da 5 Bloods’ captures the current state of America right now perfectly and with its heavy dose of social relevance it becomes a new standout in the genre of action-adventure.