Spike Lee is a talented director, and past films produced by him, such as “BlacKkKlansman,” were huge successes. However, this cannot be said for “Da 5 Bloods.” Regardless of the fact that this film is being considered for multiple Oscar nominations, it is not very enjoyable. While there are some things that can be appreciated in this film, the negatives unfortunately are not balanced by the positives. The cinematography is beautiful, but the story is dull and its foundation is based upon clichés. “Da 5 Bloods” could have been a great film, since the premise is intriguing and the characters amusing. Yet, there are many places in the film that do not make sense.
Before continuing, it must be said that the motion picture is shot beautifully. If one were to watch this movie, it would have to be for the cinematography. Set in Vietnam, the film explores the beautiful locations of Ho Chi Minh City. The time is modern day and frequently goes through flashbacks of the bloods fighting in the Vietnam War. The audience journeys through markets before arriving at the jungles of Vietnam, which demonstrates just how much the city has expanded since wartime. Ho Chi Minh City looks beautiful, and the natural forests the former soldiers go through are breathtaking. This film is worth watching just for the cinematography—Newton Siegel, the cinematographer for Da 5 Bloods, does an excellent job.
Da 5 Bloods follows four Vietnam veterans as they travel back to the country for the first time since fighting in the war. The men, who refer to themselves as “bloods”, are going back to find the remains of their former squadron leader, as well as to find treasure that was buried at the time of the Vietnam War. The film takes place in modern day Vietnam, and includes flashbacks from the blood’s time in Vietnam during the war. The film moves slowly and takes a long time to specify the point that the former soldiers are looking for their leader’s remains, as well as gold that was thought to be previously lost. Of course, there are side stories such as Otis discovering that he has a daughter, the former soldiers facing demons of their own, and the relationship between Paul and his son David. In addition to being a lengthy film (running at 156 minutes!), it drags on until it finally reaches the point of the story.
To an outsider, the film is about United States’ Veterans as they travel back to the battlefield in search for one of their own. The story is actually an attempt to be more than that. Within “Da 5 Bloods” is a portrayal of a group of older men going back to a time when they were young. In actuality, the former soldiers are broken and clearly impacted by the events that occurred on the battlefield so many years ago. The film’s message is interesting; but, the story Lee conveys is prosaic.
One concerning aspect is the number of clichés present in the film. One example is the discovery of a landmine while on their journey. This scene is an obvious one and the viewer knows it is coming. Another example is when one of the members has a heated argument about the war with a random fisherman. The audience expects this scene, since it appears to be handpicked from of a list of scenes to use in a movie about the Vietnam War.
This film did not resonate with me. It had nothing to do with the choice of the cast. It concerns are the predictability of the communication between the characters. In some scenes, the conversation between the characters is inspired and thus resonates. However, in other cases, the dialogue is unsurprising and obvious, with little elements of surprise for the audience. For example, one of the characters is secretly given a pistol for protection. Later, the other members of the group find the weapon and condemn the man for not telling the rest of the group that he is in possession of a gun. This scene is highly anticipated with too much focus placed on it. Any average viewer could have anticipated both this scene coming and the argument that ensues among the group. It was expected and was both dull and uninspired.
The film includes a great deal of character development, but Lee fails to stimulate interest. Throughout the film, the audience is shown how a war from seventy years ago still haunts the characters to this day. While the film did develop the characters of Paul, Otis, Eddie, and Melvin, “Da 5 Bloods” failed to garner any interest in any aspect. The film is just not arresting. There are many topics explored throughout the film, including the relationship between Paul and his son, and Otis with a Vietnamese woman with whom he was involved at that time. It also explores how the group handles returning to Vietnam. Every character in “Da 5 Bloods” shows growth, which is one note of positivity that can be said about this film.
“Da 5 Bloods” does not include any stereotypical Vietnam War era music, like “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, or “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills & Nash. The soundtrack is not memorable; but, it pleases me that the film does not use music that is commonly used in films about the Vietnam War. Terence Blanchard is the musical director for this film… he does a fine job.
There is nothing noteworthy about the editing of this film. One thing that is unusual is that Lee does not include younger actors to portray the Bloods during flashbacks of the war. It is understandable that the decision was made to portray characters as they are in present day looking back at that time; however, it might have resonated more if younger actors were used in that section of the movie. This decision is confusing.
Some think that “Da 5 Bloods” is one of Lee’s best films, comparing it to his past work. There is just no comparison between the two. As a movie buff, I think that this movie was important to watch. However, while the film explores many topics, it fails to spark interest, and is relatively uninspiring.
*You can watch “Da 5 Bloods” on Netflix.
