Da 5 Bloods - 2020
To my memory, there has never been a less fitting film poster for a work of art. This film is nothing like the hazy, psychedelic fever dream that is Apocalypse Now. Yet, on the other hand, Spike Lee's new work is so kaleidoscopic, such a mix of high and low art, the real and the fantastical, that only a color palette this garish and daring would be fitting. It's actually quite perfect. Ya dig, Blood?
Incidentally, the film itself is not far behind that description. Spike starts off by telling us right off the bat what kind of film this is gonna be. The first 5 minutes or so rolls a succession of still images and real footage of events in and surrounding the Vietnam War. Some of them show desolate landscapes and war-ravaged earth. But many more depict the horrors of the conflict - children napalmed, men executed in the streets, monks practicing self-immolation in protest. Still others show us key African American figures - Malcolm X, MLK, Bobby Seale - giving soundbytes about that time in history. Much of it is shocking; all of it arresting. As the story moves forward, Spike returns to these actual photographs time and again, intersplicing them into the film's narrative.
With that firm grounding in history concretized, the particular story of these men comes into focus. We have four, black Vietnam vets journeying back to where they fought all those years ago. The group has come under the auspices of finding their fallen leader's remains, so he can be properly buried, but they have a more covert mission in mind as well. Thus, our journey begins.
Before proceeding I just need to stop and talk about these men. These are four of the strongest performances I've seen in one film together in a long, long time. The most grounded of the lot is Otis, played by Clarke Peters. Otis is sagacious and world-worn, the level-headed voice of reason to Paul's (Delroy Lindo) pure id. In the middle is Isaih Whitlock Jr., gutsy, honest, yet heartfelt. You'll recognize both men from the greatest show on television - The Wire. If you didn't at first, you'll DEFINITELY do so once Whitlock rolls out his patented "Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!" Somewhere along the way, Paul's son David joins the quartet. He is young, more reserved and erudite, yet self-aware beyond his years.
This group makes the perfect traveling gang. They drink some, curse way too much, share surface pleasantries, and ultimately get down deep into the soul-crushing level of regret and loss. These men wear the war on their faces, and in the uneven strides of their aged bodies. Nowhere is this more present than in the hulking, nearly maniacal frame and visage of Delroy Lindo. The very quintessence of a "powerhouse performance," Lindo brings it from cover to cover in this one.
Earlier I referred to the admixture of high and low - real arty choices vs. realistic historical footage. Lindo's Paul is the example par excellence of the former. In the third act, he breaks the fourth wall several times in a series of monologues expressing the depth of his quest. I suppose Lee telegraphed this coming development earlier, because all of the men's dialogue is stagy and cultured. Writing as much about ruminating on war as actually physically fighting in conflicts. It's a low down mission with high dramatists as our guide. Spike also employs this tremendous technique of changing the film's aspect ratio to underscore the present and incidents in the past with Chadwick Boseman (may he rest in peace in film and life. I'll be honest, the meta element of Boseman being the squad leader was tough to take). Maybe I should have seen the signs, but I didn't. Delroy's performance shook me to my core.
But we're forgetting one thing here. Sure, we've talked about the real-life "stuff." More on this in a moment. The performances, the staginess. We could also mention ANOTHER tremendous Spike Lee score. This time he doubles down by adding a number of tremendous Motown and soul selections as well. Still, look...this movie is just incredibly fun! This is an adventure story to boot! It's like pirates seeking gold. There are weapons and intrigue and mixed motives, double crossings and backstabbings. Lest we become too convinced this is just Fences or something, we get two of the best gunfights of the year. Two dynamite action sequences! The film hums along in a pensive, somber tone. We feel ourselves expectant and a little tense just waiting for resolution. Then it EXPLODES in these few moments when the internal chaos becomes actualized externally in the real world. It's all just masterful filmmaking.
I suppose I should point to a few matters of critique. Some will say that the film nudges us with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I'm not sure that they would be wrong. Spike Lee has always been a man who met conflict head on and explored heavy themes surrounding African American people. His fearlessness is matched only by his concision as an auteur. Still, I do find him sliding into more heavy-handed exhortations and homilies as of late. The obvious response, of course, is that maybe the material demanded it! Certainly, Spike felt so and his integration of the fictional tale with real life movements like BLM and organizations for those wounded in conflicts only underline his convictions. In other words...this is a Spike Lee joint.
Finally, I think a more fair criticism is that I personally saw the two greatest reveals coming a mile away in this one. I'm referring to the events surrounding the squad leaders demise and a certain shooting involving David's character near the conclusion. But this is just adventure storytelling tropes. It does not harm the narrative one bit. Others could see this all as being overlong and overstuffed. This may very well be the case. Yet, going back to our variegated movie poster from the opening, there's a little something for everyone in this work of art. But there is a lot of soul and heart, brotherhood and social justice for many more.
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