Movie Review : Da 5 Bloods

From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a new joint: the story of four African American Vets – Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) – who return to Vietnam. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes, joined by Paul’s concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature – while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.

PROS:

• Excellent story line.
• Strong performances by the whole cast .

CONS:

• The plot of the movie felt disjointed at times due to the many flash backs. If one is not paying close attention you can easily get lost.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

Hanoi Hannah: “Black GI, is it fair to serve more than the white Americans that you sent you here? Nothing is more confused than to be ordered into a war to die, without the faintest idea of what’s going on. I dedicate this next record to the soul brothers of the 1st Infantry Divisions. Be safe.”

Otis, Eddie, Melvin: Bloods!
Paul: Norm!

Paul: I’m broken, man.
Otis: So, what, you’re blaming yourself?

CONCLUSION: 

“Da 5 Bloods” is an intriguing , thought provoking movie. It will take you on an emotional roller coaster , from laughing out load to gasping in fear to shedding tears. The movie tackles many different themes such as race , regret , greed , honor , morality and horrors of war, among others. Director Spike Lee infuses 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 when the battle is long over.

The 4 men travel back to Vietnam to find and recover the remains of a fallen comrade, Norman (Chadwick Boseman), the fifth Blood, and bring him home. They are also there to retrieve the stash of gold they’d found all those years ago. The Gold may not have been theirs but they feel that they are owed for the toll the war took on them.

The 4 Bloods all have different personal reasons for going back to Vietnam thus capturing competing elements of the story. Delroy Lindo gave a tremendous performance as the deeply troubled war veteran ,Paul. He suffers from PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder). He has nightmare , persistent anger ,and hatred for his country and and the world in general. Going back to Vietnam was in essence a way for him to exorcise his demons.

Da 5 Bloods is a touching movie that will leave you with a lot to think about. It may be centered around the Vietnam war but the themes resonate to today’s climate.

Rating:

4 out of 5 

BY KAPA KAUMBA