Da 5 Bloods (2020) User Reviews (874)

A mixed bag of feelings

[ronakkotian · 5/10 · 21 June 2020]

Spike Lee is one of the most interesting filmmakers out there. His films have a lot to say and he isn't afraid to voice his opinions. I thought BlacKkKlansman was pretty good but this film is definitely a step down from that.

Da 5 Bloods is about four soldiers that return to Vietnam years after fighting in the Vietnam War and try to find their fallen squadron leader and the gold they all hid.

This film really put me on the fence. There are parts of it which I like and other areas which I didn't like. I get what Spike Lee was trying to convey relating to African Americans in the war and the problems with it but I feel his execution of the subject was lacklustre.

A few things I did enjoy were the four main cast members. At the very beginning of the film I really felt a sense of camaraderie between them and I especially liked watching Delroy Lindo's performance throughout. The use of archival footage added to the realism of the film with some creating a very intense and uncomfortable feeling to the viewer. I thought the changing aspect ratios worked for the most part. The war scenes that were shot in 4:3 seemed like footage that was actually filmed long ago.

Apart from that, the film is flawed. A huge technique which bothered me throughout was how Lee wanted to tell the audience the film's themes. There are many moments where the characters just talk about the film's themes without us trying to figure it out ourselves. It gets to a point where it feels preachy. Clearly subtlety is not a strong factor in this film. There's a sequence where a character miraculously finds something which seemed way too convenient for that to happen. The dialogue was pretty bland and I wasn't a fan of some of the editing choices. With a runtime of 2 hours 30 minutes, it could've been cut down to be a tad shorter as some scenes drag.

I don't think Da 5 Bloods is as bad as some people say it is or as good as some critics say it is. There are good parts to it but it's unfortunate Lee took a few bad decisions to convey a story that had potential. You can watch it if you want but I would skip out on this one.

So Much Promise....

[jamaisj-838-93732 · 6/10 · 21 June 2020]

There's a lot of really cool stuff going on in this movie, but the directing and writing gets in the way. Ultimately, the movie tries to link the Viet Nam war and racism, and fails miserably. In trying to fight the two different wars, it loses a lot.

There's a lot of issues with the movie, but they come down to three issues: 1) It needs to decide which movie it's remaking. It basically tries to combine Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Apocalypse Now, and Three Kings and fails at it because of how different the three movies are. 2) The length; this movie could have been told much more effectively in almost half the time. I know it's trying to combine three movies, but that's no excuse for just taking too much time on things. 3) The over-the-top racism. I know this is a weird call, but the movie could have been a lot more effective had it toned down the racism. Also, some of the incidents involved contribute to the length of the movie without really adding anything.

The apparent lack of any military knowledge on the part of Lee (the sheer number of military gaffes, such as salutes and ammunition) as well as the obvious call-backs to movies involved keep throwing watchers out of the movie.

This had the potential to be an incredible movie, especially as the acting is incredible and the cinematography is gorgeous, but it's just too long and too many issues to be even a satisfactory movie.

Da Mess; Da Length; Da Lack of Judicious Editing

[ilikeimdb · 6/10 · 13 September 2020]

Seems Spike Lee has caught the George Lucas disease regarding pruning back an out-of-control bush of a movie. You have a couple of main themes in this very preachy but often action-packed movie about Vietnam War Vets trying to reconcile their pasts and improve their lots in life. But there's like three-movies-in-one here and Spike Lee seems to have fired the editor who should have removed 30 minutes of drag from this often dramatic effort. Interesting but overly long, sentimental in bizarre places, preachy nearly beyond redemption.

Terrible film, great performances

[grinningelvis · 6/10 · 16 January 2023]

Nothing about "Da 5 Bloods" works. Nothing. In fact, it's so arrogant in it's premise and execution that it almost pulls off a sort of B-Movie charm. Not a complement. Here's a bunch of great actors with plenty of scenery to chew up and a script that assumes a certain weight that it can't quite deliver. What's left is a laughably self-serious movie that looks like garbage, is filled with leaden emotions, and betrays a couple of veterans actors slumming for the privilege of working with the ultimate hot/cold writer-director.

When Lee is on, he's one of the best filmmakers of the last fifty years - full of substance and style. But when he's off, you get overheated tripe like "Bloods" - a film that manages to be hilarious when it's supposed to be thinking, and deadly somber when we're supposed to be winking. Memorable only as a great misfire for everyone involved.

Maybe just not be rated...

[gcarpiceci · 12 June 2020]

Whoa....this was a hell of a ride! Now, if you are expecting Da 5 Bloods to be a movie in the sense of a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, it might not work for you. I am not sure myself it worked for me but I didn't feel like I could just ignore it either. This is like a pile of political, emotional and historical statements not necessarily linked in one single bundle. At times it ends up being a Tarantino-like mess, but with relevance. It is surely timely, it is heavily politically loaded, it is emotional and intense, angered but also ironical and lighthearted at moments. Maybe not to be judged, let alone rated, but just to be absorbed.

Spike Lee is both the best thing and the worst thing about this movie

[isaacsundaralingam · 6/10 · 23 April 2021]

There are enjoyable aspects to this movie, certainly... but as a whole, it feels disoriented. And I'd place the blame (and the credit) on director Spike Lee's directorial choices.

An aspect of his directorial style I loved was the 4th wall breaking monologues as delivered by actor Delroy Lindo in the final act of the movie... It was a creative choice that I felt added more weight to the character. But then there are other aspects of Lee's style that just doesn't do it for me... And as was in his last feature BlacKkKlansman... he has a tendency to be overbearingly loud about his messaging when in fact he doesn't have to be. The historical contexts added into the movie (as displayed through a collection of images interrupting the flow of the movie) feel unnecessarily preachy in a script that has very little to do with any of it.

Leaving all that aside, there's still a little charm left in the movie, courtesy of the chemistry the lead actors share on screen. And they all do a great job with the material handed to them, although I felt like the script they were working with could have been a little more accommodating to their talents. The script... although follows a very interesting premise, fails to meaningfully add any depth to it all.

Overall, I'm not saying I hated it, but it's a movie that's very difficult to love. I have nothing but respect for Spike Lee as a director, but this just doesn't do it for me.

Good morning, Vietnam.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 8/10 · 15 June 2020]

'Da 5 Bloods (2020)' is engaging and alarming. It confronts its audience with some harsh truths and, at times, is an uncomfortable experience because of it. It's also an important experience, though, as it tangles with themes of exploitation, racism, post-traumatic stress and war with a surprising degree of nuance. Though the piece is an odd mix of black comedy, traditional action and shocking archive footage, it somehow comes together as a fictional tale that conveys quite a bit of truth. It's effective in almost all its aspects. The thing does feel long but that's principally because it's constantly unpredictable, shifting in tone and, even, genre often within the same scene. Its formalistic elements often catch you off guard, too. At times, it's truly horrifying; I mean, some of its graphic stock footage is the sort of thing you can never unsee. Its frankness is a part of its DNA, though. While it isn't necessarily a fun film, it is one worth watching. It offers a new perspective on an often misrepresented time-period. It rings true despite its fictional plot. 8/10

"Our Fight Is Not in Vietnam"

[OMTR · 6/10 · 16 September 2022]

A tagline full of promise, which foreshadowed an essential work on the institutional and systemic racism of the colonial powers and their crimes, both domestic and overseas.

After a powerful and excellent introduction that lives up to our highest expectations, the problem lies in the clumsy plot development and messy film aesthetics between this very promising beginning and a similar conclusion.

With the notable exception of a few scenes that prove the rule, the story is too erratic and hazy to give the film the grandeur it deserves. Because it is America-centric and fails to apply genuine anti-imperialist analyze with a consistent depiction of Vietnam as nothing more than a war.

Deep Scars & Unhealed Wounds...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 12 June 2020]

A powerful film, built and projected on cavernously deep scars and open, unhealed wounds, both old and new, physical and psychological; scored on a canvass of prejudice and discrimination, greed and betrayal, friendship, love & family.

Noble Aspirations Can't Save a Sloppy Shoot

[Metaflix · 6/10 · 26 June 2020]

There is no more prescient of a time for Spike Lee to put out a film. He's arguably the world's most important Black filmmaker and his latest movie, "Da 5 Bloods," hits screens at a time when race relations in America are at their most pivotal point since the civil rights era.

Lee's films nearly exclusively center on race. To this day his debut feature film, "Do the Right Thing," is not only dissected, discussed, and analyzed everywhere from the streets to academia for its filmmaking prowess, but also for the clarity and depth of what the film has to say about the Black experience in America.

Not stopping there, Lee set his sights on the life and times of Malcolm X, turning out a three-and-a-half hour epic that lays bare the noxious pretense of equality in America that existed during Malcolm X's lifetime, at the time of the film's 1992 release, and still exists to this day.

Lee's latest, "Da 5 Bloods," is centered on four old war buddies from Vietnam who travel back to the country to retrieve a stash of gold along with the remains of their fallen friend.

The opening of the film is not for the faint of heart. It depicts real life photos and news footage of some of the more horrifying memories of the Vietnam War era, such as the burning monk or the captive Vietnamese man executed in the street with a bullet to the head. Equally repulsive is the notion that war, oppression, racism, and corrupt politics isn't some figment of our distant past but every bit as widespread then as it is today.

A number of scenes in "Da 5 Bloods" contain fun to spot Easter eggs or homages to its cinematic brethren. Some are rather obvious, like the "Apocalypse Now" writing on the wall of the dance club or the usage of the song "Flight of the Valkyries," harkening back to the same movie. Others are a bit more meta, like the one-legged Vietnamese man throwing fire crackers at the feet of the protagonists, playfully referencing the terrifying "Dance!" scene in "Platoon."

But as much as Spike Lee might've wanted "Da 5 Bloods" to represent his own "Apocalypse Now" or "Platoon," it just isn't. Not even close. Far too many corners were cut while making the film for it to be considered in the same realm as such distinguished titles.

Just look at the blood spatter CGI used throughout "Da 5 Bloods" as an example. It looks no better than the stock blood spatter effect in Adobe. Matter of fact, it probably IS the stock blood spatter effect in Adobe. Why not spend that Netflix money and use squibs? Alternatively, if the effect is going to make the film look like a B-rated zombie flick, why use anything at all?

And what are the chances that someone looking for buried gold on the side of a mountain goes to dig a hole to take a dump in and his shovel hits ... gold. A million to one? A billion? Who cares because Spike Lee is an acclaimed writer and such mind-numbing coincidences should never make it onto the page, much less into the film?

The full list of frustrating coincidences found throughout the film is about as long as this entire review, so I'll spare you the details. The bottom line is simply that "Da 5 Bloods" isn't the film we all hoped it would be. Spike Lee is among the finest filmmakers alive. Kubrick is Kubrick because he never settled for "just good enough." Scorsese is Scorsese because he never settles for "just good enough." After watching "Da 5 Bloods," I find it very disappointing at how many times Spike Lee apparently settled for "just good enough."

Did I watch a different film to the critics?

[eddie_baggins · 4/10 · 15 June 2020]

Since his first true feature film She's Gotta Have It in 1986, Spike Lee has remained one of the most passionate and hard-working filmmakers in the industry, with each of his projects being born from the mind of an outspoken individual who isn't afraid to tackle issues and subject matters others would do all they could to avoid.

While this passion has made for some outstanding individual results and moments, Lee has also continued to be one of the most eclectic directors when its comes to quality control, with audiences unsure whether they are getting a new masterpiece or a genuine dud, such is the wide ranging variation of his projects.

For every Do the Right Thing, The 25th Hour or BlacKKKlansman there's an Oldboy, Miracle at St. Anna or Red Hook Summer, works of an artist that sometimes loses focus on quality control in his quest to tackle the often controversial material his bringing to life.

One of his most high-profile releases of the last decade, Lee's first feature since the Oscar winning success of BlacKKKlansman is his long time coming Vietnam passion project Da 5 Bloods, a well-cast Netflix production that shines a light on black service man in the Vietnam war, whilst also offering a thrilling treasure hunt plot-line with aging African American veterans returning to the battlefields of the war torn country.

It's an incredibly intriguing set-up and one that allows Lee to explore topical race related scenarios while also operating in one of his biggest cinematic playgrounds yet but this two and a half hour exercise is the type of let-down of a film that is littered throughout Lee's career, as his poor pacing, editing, story developments and intrusively scored effort continually disappoints throughout.

Loaded up with a cast full of talent with Delroy Lindo, The Wire's Clark Peters and Isiah Whitlock Jr, Jean Reno and Black Panther himself Chadwick Boseman all involved, Da 5 Bloods appears on paper to be ripe for the best type of Lee film but with a collection of mostly unlikable characters, long in the tooth scenarios and situations and an abundance of atrocious plot contrivances (hello gold discovery during a toilet break), Lee's exercise has too many flaws to overlook and more often than not feels amateurish, not the work of an Oscar winning writer.

It's not to say the film is bereft of good ideas or moments, there are numerous touching scenes exploring the effect of war on these man, particularly in how they returned to a country that seemed to not value their services or still continued to judge them by their skin color and some of the interplay between the experienced actors makes for both funny and heartfelt viewing but too often than not Lee is hammering his audience over the head with the films topics with all the care of a sledgehammer, instead of refining his product into a polished offering it was so desperately in need of becoming.

Final Say -

A hugely disappointing effort from Lee, Da 5 Bloods may have found its share of critical acclaim but while its themes and subject matter should be commended, as a film; this Netflix release is as unpolished and unfocused as they come.

2 gold bars out of 5

They got five on it

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 18 June 2020]

Spike Lee is outspoken. He does not make it a secret that he is not a fan of Trump at all. Now in the time we live in, that may make his movies a no go to some (yes political views seem to matter to some more than the actual quality of the movie they might or might not watch). In this though, Spike Lee tells a story and does not just give us a history lesson.

A story that is complicated, with regrets, with PTSD, with hidden treasures, with mental issues and more. There is a lot that can be discovered here. One of the things being who the characters are. Including one Black Trump fan - missguided you say? Well the position of Spike is clear on this, but the movie has more to say than just that. And the soundtrack helps boosting that, even though I'm not sure the placing of the ride of the valkyries was the best. But that's just me and how I experienced it. You may feel it's completely apt.

Now Spike does not hold back and there will be blood, there will be violence in this and there will be quite the weird relationships and how they play out. Sometimes the ghosts of the past do not let go. Even if they never meant to keep you down. This is complex, yet intriguing, suspensful and entertaining to a degree, while very informative too. Social injustice and social equivalence has not been achieved yet - if you don't confront your past, you can't be living your future!

Not as good as it's made out to be

[spidermonkeycoleman · 6/10 · 9 December 2022]

Note: Spoilers start in the 5 paragraph

Don't get me wrong, this definitely isn't a bad film, but by the end instead of feeling satisfied I was left with a feeling of, "Wait, that's it?"

This should come as no suprise, but the acting is great. The cast plays off each other well and even when the the film gets slower, the performances kept me watching.

Along with the acting, the visuals are stunning. There are some beautiful shots in this movie as well as disturbing, but it all blends together nicely and fits with the feel of the movie.

The soundtrack was also decent, though not as good as it coudl've been. There were a few scenes where they don't play any music when it would've helped the scene, but overall I never felt like the score hurt the movie in any way. Though at the same time, I'm not sure how much it helped it either.

Now onto my main issues with the movie...

The characters are a mixed bag of quality. While some are dense and investing, others are deliberately not built on much. At first it doesn't make sense but then the characters start dying and guess which ones die first? The characters who weren't given much story.

It's a lazy way of filmmaking in my opinion, to not give depth to your main characters because they're going to die first. Like the first of "Da 5 Bloods" to die (the one that dies from the landmine) was in the movie so little that I hardly remembered he was a character until his death scene. And then the guy who was having sex with the french girl, he gets blown up too and he probably only has 7 or 8 lines in the whole movie. These characters, main characters, are so weak that I don't even remember their names!

On the topic of deaths, none of them were done well. When the first of the Bloods gets blown up, it's sad and starts to get emotional but they ruin the scene by hardly acting like it happened. Like the guy dies and then literally 5 seconds after, we move on to a tense scene where another character steps on a landmine. He was one of the main 5 characters and they don't give you any time to feel emotion.

Then there's another one of the Bloods who jumps on a grenade for no reason and the rest of the characters don't even acknowledge he's dead! Hell, they hardly tell the audience that he died because once again, as soon as he dies the movie jumps into another scene and doesnt give you any time to process the death. And why'd he jump on the grenade anyways? Nobody was close enough to be hit by it, not even him. He jumps over to it. Again, its lazy filmmaking and killing characters for no reason.

They also kill characters off just for the sake of it. I never felt like any of the main character's deaths had any impact on the movie because of the way the movie treats the deaths and the characters. It's a slap in the face to the audience who has to sit through 2 AND A HALF HOURS for there to be no respect given to the characters and their stories.

The ending was anticlimactic as well. You'd think after making a movie so long they'd give a proper ending but nah, they kill the bad guy, we see Jonathon Majors read a note over a montage, and it ends. No satisfaction or impactful moment, it just ends right after the final fight, which was lackluster as well.

Da 5 Bloods isn't a terrible movie. I admittedly enjoyed it a little, but it is frustrating more often than it is enjoyable. The characters aren't well balanced and the deaths are mostly pointless. The runtime isn't justified, though the acting and visuals are solid and the story is entertaining enough... mostly.

I wanted to like this movie but... the bad reviews are all correct

[Mcduff3601 · 1/10 · 30 June 2020]

This was just terrible. If it wasn't for the gore this would be a made for TV movie from the 90's. Most of the acting was really bad, the dialogue felt unscripted but not in a good way. The story was mediocre at best and the way the characters abandon their convictions over what seems like no reasons it made it seem like it wasn't done on purpose but just from lack of any kind of good writing.

I was expecting to see more around what it was like to be a black soldier in Vietnam but there was so little service paid to this topic it was literally a few guys standing around going "Oh man it sucks to be a black soldier in Vietnam... which is where we are right now... in Vietnam... because they are just using us black soldiers. Hey man did I mention to you I am a black soldier in vietnam?" This is such a HUGE topic that deserves a much better media outlet than this piece of trash.

Ken Burns does an amazing job of covering the war in his documentary The Vietnam War it is a bit of an investment though at about 20hrs to watch. BUT it goes into the details of it all (if you want to watch about the war). There are so many better movies depicting the struggles of Black Americans, like Malcom X, Detroit, Glory just to name a few. Don't bother with this movie it has NO redeeming qualities.

Could of been good but loaded with boring cliches

[skispeed69 · 7 March 2021]

I really wanted to like this movie, but the writing was all over the place and the pace was so boring. This is not a classic war movie, it's just a bunch of guys complaining how they got treated badly by the man. Just boring.

Great performances, pretty decent plot with a strong theme but overlong slow running time.

[cruise01 · 7/10 · 13 June 2020]

Da 5 Bloods (3.5 out of 5 stars).

Da 5 Bloods is a pretty fair war drama film. About foue Vietnam vets that go back to the jungle in modern time to search for their best friend remains while searching for hidden treasure they buried.

The plot is good also focusing on modern times of race and black lives matter concept. The film also shows the struggle each vet is going through mentally and physically. Delroy Lindo delivers a powerful performance that he is struggling with. The cast is good with there performances.

The film does have a sense of style with Spike Lees direction with the narrative switching between Vietnam war to present day. I did not think this was Spike Lees best movie. But it was entertaining. I did have issues with how long the movie was. It was overlong and needed some editing to help with the pacing.

Da Spike Lee joint.

[Azanspy · 7/10 · 12 June 2020]

Da 5 Bloods is not as good as Spike Lee's last movie, BlacKkKlansman. But this movie is very entertaining and has Spike Lee's artistic touch all over it. I didn't like the starting phase of the movie but as it went along and when the story unfolds slowly, it began to take my attention. The music and the cinematography is very good and the shots in Vietnam forest was very good. The performances of the whole cast was top notch and some deserves Oscar recognition. As for the whole movie, eventhough it may get nominated in some category, I don't think this will be in the Best Picture nominee. Nevertheless, Da 5 Bloods is a good movie that you should watch in these difficult circumstances. P.s. what a coincidence.

An entertaining and gripping war drama that like even the most serious Spike Lee movies, has a lot of great comedy.

[mahmus · 8/10 · 15 June 2020]

Then again, this isn't one of Spike Lee's most serious films, or at least it's one of his less angry films. For all its relevant commentary on racism, this is primarily an adventure film, and a damn good one at that. It is also a great tribute to all black soilders who fought in the Vietnam war. It's a story about unity, which I think it's something we could all use right now.

It's full of references to classic movies, some more effective than others. It's perhaps a bit too similar to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Many of its story beats are lifted directly from that film (of course they recreate the "stinking badges" scene), so having seen that movie did remove a lot of the tension, and made the latter parts of the second half somewhat predictable.

That landmine scene however is one of the tensest movie scenes I've seen in a while.

Also, I love how no other movie could possibly get away with having the villain straight up wearing a MAGA hat during a shootout. It would be painfully unsubtle if it wasn't such a hilarious visual.

An urgent and important film on racism and War Veterans.

[pranayjalvi · 7/10 · 12 June 2020]

Da 5 Bloods is an urgent film on racism that's always been a major problem. The fight for America yet there wasn't no equality even after the justice.

The performances from Delroy Lindo and Clark Peters were outstanding along with the cinematography. The film stretches a bit in its runtime of 2hr 35 mins, but did succeeds in showing the ugly reality behind the beautiful display.

A simultaneous play between the war moments and the current situation of the veterans, Spike Lee does a great work in transitioning the emotions.

My Rating : 3.5/5

Not Lee's best but still very moving and important

[Thekeybaldemasterrises · 9/10 · 14 June 2020]

Challenging, thought provoking, and downright chaotic. Spike Lee's new joint Da 5 Bloods is a wild one, and he does not hold back any punches here. What starts off as a road trip/reunion film about a group of Vietnam vets looking for the remains of their old comrade and their treasure, turns into something brutal and raw. It's a war movie, but it's a movie about humanity too. It doesn't just signify the cost of war and the effects it has on the individual, but the hate that's created from it. What I love about Lee is his insistence on making the audience a part of the film and not just the "observer". When he wants you to see an image he really wants you to SEE it, and boy are there a lot of haunting images in this film. I think what people have to understand is this isn't just about the black experience of the war, it's the experience of being human and the path we walk. The character of Paul is a symbol of someone who chooses to walk the path of hate and how they refuse to stop walking that path. I'm a little bummed that Lee decided to make that character a straight up Trump Supporter as I find that to be less subtle and more likely to trigger people into turning on this movie since that could ignite it into a more politcal conversation. It's like Lee gave up some of the subtle tactics to ensure the audience is receiving what he's getting at but I honestly don't think he neeed too, the dialogue and the characters are profound enough to get that message across. Showing a MAGA hat becomes a little too on the nose and I know people are just gonna trash all over this movie for that reason, but hopefully I'm wrong. This isn't Lee's best film, but it's a deep and interesting one. I love how he cuts between different aspect ratios and makes the flashback scenes look 16MM it made it feel that much more immersive. I think he could've trimmed down the first half as it's at least 20 minutes too long, but that didn't stop me from really feeling moved by what he did here. It's a hard watch, but it's a necessary watch, and it only adds to the conversation right now of the black experience I can't stress that enough. It's a disturbing, violent, and graphic film, but it needs to be seen. 9/10.

Brace Yourself

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 20 June 2020]

Vietnam War movies were really popular in the 80's. I think we were far enough removed from the War to talk about it, yet not too far removed where it was no longer relevant. Many of the vets were still relatively young in the 80's so it made sense to tell their story at that time.

We are now roughly 50 years removed from the Vietnam War and Spike Lee is revisiting it in his movie "Da 5 Bloods." The majority of the movie takes place in present day Vietnam, but there are some scenes from the Vietnam War and five Black American men who fought there. Spike Lee also threw in some actual footage and I don't think there are warnings strong enough to prepare you for some of the "grisly" footage that he added in the movie.

The movie follows Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), and David (Jonathan Majors), with the first four being fellow soldiers and David being the son of Paul. They formed an unbreakable bond while serving in Vietnam as I'm sure many soldiers formed. Though they lost one of their fellow soldiers named Stormin Norman (Chadwick Boseman), they all reunited decades later to visit Vietnam one last time. Though it wasn't for nostalgic reasons, it was for some hidden gold.

Now, so many years removed from the war, the effects of the war upon them are more evident--and it seems that it affected some more than others. Like any Spike Lee movie, it is charged with poignant messages about race and the wide spectrum of beliefs and characteristics of Black Americans. This movie will require a strong constitution to deal with both: racial matters as well as bloody violence. War movies aren't for everyone, and Spike Lee isn't for everyone, so if you know what to expect from both, then I think you will enjoy this movie.

Da 5 Bloods

[henry8-3 · 3/10 · 24 June 2020]

4 black ex Vietnam soldiers go back to find the body of their lost comrade and a pile of gold.

After a decent enough first half hour where you get to the know the individuals, their problems and their feelings about the war and their beloved fallen comrade this decends into a really badly put together Treasure of the Sierra Madre rip off. Full of over the top characters and silly speeches linked in with Lee's usual messages, this would have been acceptable had it not been for the structure of the hunt for the body / gold adventure which is totally unbelievable and gets worse and worse as the film progresses. Redeemed very slightly in the last 20 minutes, it remains a misguided and annoying mess.

The first hour mainly keeps it from a 10

[DanLawson146 · 8/10 · 13 June 2020]

POSITIVES:

1) The film is masterfully shot. It was a genius move to shoot the film in 3 different aspect ratios 2) Delroy Lindo is incredible and definitely deserved a best actor Oscar nomination, his one take rants to the camera are flawless; I'd have loved to see Chadwick Boseman get a best supporting actor Oscar nomination too 3) The minefield scene is one of the most tense scenes I've watched in a long time 4) The film is emotional in a great way and you really feel the bonds that the Bloods have with each other 5) The score is very good and completely works with the film

NEGATIVES:

1) The film is too long, it definitely feels baggy and too slowly paced 2) Pretty much all of this bagginess comes in the first hour. There is a moment at the end of the first hour where the screen extends into the full widescreen aspect ratio for the first time; this moment literally seemed there to signify Spike Lee saying "this is the where the film really starts properly". In the first hour there are two romantic subplots that are completely irrelevant, as well as 2 scenes in bars that should be heavily trimmed down or cut out completely 3) Some of the dialogue, mainly in the first hour, is a bit clunky. I also thought the way in which racial issues were inserted into the film were too clunky and on the nose too, as they are either done through expositional dialogue or through the film literally cutting away from the story and putting pictures/videos on the screen for us to see instead.

Inconsistencies!

[dtelgin · 6/10 · 15 June 2020]

Looks like Spike got lazy and called this one in. Daughter conceived 50 years ago looks like a 25 year old, the mother looks 40, not 65. Gold got washed away in a mudslide but went uphill? Plot mimics Treasure of Sierra Madre, gold drives men to insanity due to selfishness. Hard to follow the flashbacks because the younger men looked like the older men. Would have been a 10 if final editing was not a rush job.

A Spike Lee Disjoint

[DJWinston · 4/10 · 13 June 2020]

Much as I admire Spike Lee's talent and audacity, this film just didn't work for me. Too many preposterous plot points while the motivations (of everyone, it seemed) were never clear. The whole thing was just confusing.

And yes, disjointed.