Rating: R
Runtime: 2 hours, 34 minutes
Director: Spike Lee
Quick Impressions:
Thanks to COVID-19, I haven’t been to a movie theater since March, and because I don’t know when I’ll go back, I’ve been pointedly avoiding all the Oscar-related articles and videos I normally devour rapaciously on a daily basis. (Why sadden myself by looking at something in which I can’t fully participate? Out of sight, out of mind, you know.) That said, if Delroy Lindo isn’t at least nominated for Best Actor for his riveting, raw, practically perfect performance in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, then there’s no justice left in the world.
Actually let’s forget the part about “no justice left in the world.” Regardless of the rampant injustice in this crazy world, Delroy Lindo must get an Oscar nomination for his turn as tormented Vietnam vet Paul, back in the Vietnamese jungle to retrieve a fallen colleague and recover a hidden treasure.
I’m so excited about Lindo’s performance that I still haven’t read any Oscar stuff, just in case everybody else disagrees with me and Lindo has no chance of an Oscar this year. I think he deserves one, and I intend to write this review as if he is a serious contender for a nomination, even a win. (I’ll admit, a Best Supporting Actor nomination would also be fine. A good case can be made that this is a true ensemble piece, or that the sympathetic, easy-to-like Otis (Clarke Peters) is actually the lead in the film. Personally, given the screen time involved and the sheer strength of the performance, I would put Lindo in lead. Either way, this is Oscar caliber work.)
Recently I’ve been getting content for this blog by reviewing past Best Picture winners that I watch late at night with my daughter. That’s great for the blog (not to mention for mother/daughter bonding time), but meanwhile, my husband (who goes to bed early) hasn’t been getting to see these Oscar winning films. In fact, he’s barely been getting to see me (alone, that is). So we decided to reinstitute our weekly date nights. I’m still going to watch and review the types of films we would have seen in the theater in the past, only now we’ll be watching in our bedroom on my laptop, so I’ll be getting to some new releases a little late.
Last night were on the fence, trying to choose between Portrait of a Lady on Fire (which, frustratingly, we still have not seen) or Da 5 Bloods. Ultimately we chose Spike Lee’s latest film since it’s actually this year’s movie. I always enjoy Spike Lee’s work. For me, if Lee directed a film, it’s worth seeing. Plus the recent tragic death of Chadwick Boseman lends a kind of urgency to watching new movies in which he appears. I went into this hoping for a supporting role for Boseman large enough to get him Oscar attention but came away amazed by Delroy Lindo and so excited to watch more Oscar worthy work this fall and winter.
The Good:
Very early on in the film, my husband said to me, “This is starting to feel like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” Then at multiple points, I looked over and made excited faces at him. There’s definitely a Treasure of the Sierra Madre vibe at play here, which must be intentional because Da 5 Bloods uses actual lines from the classic film at least twice. (And there may be more literal echoes that we missed.)
In this story, four African American veterans who served together in Vietnam return to the country to retrieve the body of their friend Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman) who died during the war. They also plan to bring home a hidden treasure.
“What kind of treasure?” my mom asked when I told her about the movie.
“Gold bars,” I replied, and she nodded appreciatively. It’s a pretty legitimate treasure, all right.
Outside of Lindo’s tour de force performance, the cinematography is what impressed me most about the movie. Now my new laptop does tend to supersaturate everything, but even allowing for that, the film’s vibrant colors and appealing framing make you want to look and look at everything it’s showing you.
And what isn’t it showing you! As usual, Spike Lee packs the movie with information. Even if you don’t connect with the characters–which seems impossible to me–you’ll still come away having learned a lot of American history. Well, I guess how much you learn is up to you, but we’re constantly shown quick cuts of famous people and relevant events. I love the way they’re assembled. The way Lee shuffles in these significant moments reminds me of Steinbeck’s intercalary chapters in The Grapes of Wrath. These brief moments help us put the story in the proper context, and at the same time, show us that we, too, are a part of the story. The experiences dramatized in the narrative belong to these particular characters, but we’re living with them in the same history. I think these interspersed historical scenes also lend legitimacy to the main narrative. We’ve learned history before, but we might have missed some important stuff, and we definitely haven’t lived the same experiences as these men who are now sharing their story with us, giving us a more complete understanding of our world.
Probably my favorite thing is the way the flashbacks from the war are shown to us. When we flash back to the past, the aspect ratio changes. We’re not looking at a rectangle, anymore. Everything’s happening in a square on the center of the screen. And here’s the really cool part. Chadwick Boseman appears as the young Stormin’ Norman. He’s alive only in the past. Gathered around him are the four protagonists, Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.). Younger actors aren’t substituted. They’re not de-aged in any way. My husband and I found this so cool. I’m thinking it’s done that way to show how real and vivid these memories are for the surviving men. They never left that jungle. In the past, they were there with Norman, and they’re there with Norman now. So much meaning can be teased out of every shot of this movie. Not only does it look good, but the images are telling their own story. Newton Thomas Sigel is the cinematographer. I liked his work on Drive.
I liked Terence Blanchard’s score, too. I was listening carefully to his score because 1) We were watching on a laptop with no extra speakers, so I had to listen carefully and 2) Even though I liked Black Panther, I thought it had the weakest of the nominated scores that year. I personally liked Blanchard’s BlacKkKlansman score much better, and I keep wondering if there’s an Oscar waiting somewhere in his future. I particularly like the way this score seems almost to switch genre. One moment, we’re caught up in the action and adventure, the next we swerve into the drama of the emotional journey, and the music guides through the transition. I also like the way we get not just visual clues but also sound cues when we transition from the past to the present, and vice versa.
Before watching this film, I knew nothing about it at all except the touching message Clarke Peters posted online, apologizing for the way he misjudged Chadwick Boseman (assuming he was “a little bit precious” because he was getting a massage on set when actually he was dying of cancer). So I knew Boseman and Peters were in the movie, and I exited because I like both of them quite a lot.
Peters has a huge part. (You could argue that he’s the lead. At the beginning, he seems like the main character, but then Lindo gradually steals the movie. At the very least, though, Peters is a lead.) Although he’s overshadowed by his co-star (who has by far the showier part), Peters gives a very good performance, too, playing an incredibly likeable character. Lindo’s Paul is sympathetic in that once you really get to know him, you begin to feel his pain. Otis, on the other hand, is sympathetic in the more traditional sense that he seems like a good guy who is easy to like. What he goes through is so relatable. He discovers something about an old relationship that would be moving to anyone. He’s a peacemaker, a facilitator. He struggles with chronic pain. He does his best to be a positive, affirming role model to his godson David (Jonathan Majors), when David’s father Paul cannot be emotionally available. He’s just a very likable guy, and Peters gives an excellent performance, too (though I’d be surprised to see him get any awards buzz because he’s so overshadowed by his co-star).
All the performances in the film are good. The movie is well cast. I was delighted to see Jean Reno, and intrigued by Y. Lan whose character I would have loved to learn more about. And if you’re a fan of BlacKkKlansman, it might interest you that both Jasper Pääkkönen and Paul Walter Hauser show up in supporting roles (along with French actress Mélanie Thierry) just about the time that the movie gets incredibly suspenseful.
If you like suspense, then you’ve come to the right movie. One scene got so tense that my husband and I held our breath until we almost died. (That’s a slight exaggeration, but it was quite suspenseful for a moment so ultimately uneventful.)
Most Oscar Worthy Moment, Delroy Lindo:
Early on, I thought, “Wow, Delroy Lindo is playing quite a character!” Then later, I thought, “He’s a scene stealer. He’s really good.” Then later, I thought, “He’s the best one.” And then, when we were deeply into the film, I finally realized, “Okay, this is Delroy Lindo’s movie. The treasure waiting for him in that jungle is an Oscar.” I mean, near the end, it might as well be Hamlet! Paul is the one we watch.
He has so many amazing moments and scenes, but my favorite is his late encounter with Chadwick Boseman that blinded me with tears. The fourth-wall breaking scenes leading up to that point are also incredible and so showy that it seems impossible he won’t get a Best Actor nomination.
Best Scene:
If you count out the intense scenes that play like The Tragedy of Paul in One Extended Soliloquy, then probably the best scene happens just after the four men find the treasure. They also find something else they aren’t looking for. I’m talking specifically about the tense moment when Paul gets the rope, and then the alarming transition to what comes next.
Best Action Sequence:
The end of the movie is loaded with action (in the traditional Hollywood sense, and also, I suppose in terms of positive activism). But I really like the suspenseful moment when the men find–and then don’t find–and then find…and find…and find their gold.
Best Scene Visually:
I’ve already said that I love the way that all (but one) of the flashbacks show the main characters at their current ages.
I also really like the shot of the McDonald’s and the tree. I think there’s a lot of meaning packed into that shot.
The first joke about Paul’s hat (that cuts to real news footage) is pretty great. (Keep an eye on that hat, too!)
I also like the way Norm’s camera is used during the middle of the film.
The Negatives:
I have few criticisms of Da 5 Bloods. I do think it’s on the long side, and that the end seems somewhat less taut than all the rest. It’s also a take on a well known period in history from a very particular point of view, which may be off putting to some.
Here’s the big thing. If you don’t like other Spike Lee movies, then you won’t like this one either. The story itself could appeal to anyone. The characters are richly developed and well played, and their stories tap into universal emotions and even situations. But if you don’t like your movies with social commentary, then watch something else, or prepare to go off on a rant if you enjoy a film that works up a good healthy rage…because Spike Lee has something to say. Spike Lee always has something to say. And what would be the point of saying, “I’m going to shine a light on this–everything is fine, and it always has been”? If you find that Spike Lee is not your cup of tea, I doubt very much that you would feel differently about this particular movie. I suppose there is one exception. Perhaps you don’t care for Spike Lee, but you are a Vietnam veteran and deeply relate to these characters. In that case, surely some elements of the story will speak to you, but if you have found what Spike Lee has had to say in the past off putting, I don’t see why you wouldn’t have the same complaints about this film. It does blatantly encourage things like peace, love, and forgiveness, though. Stormin’ Norman seems to inspire and motivate these friends in much the same way that Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired the world.
Overall:
Delroy Lindo gives the best performance I’ve seen all year as Paul, the tortured Vietnam vet on a quest to calm his inner demons and win a battle that others don’t even realize he’s been fighting. It’s a fantastic performance, and the rest of the movie is good, too. If you have Netflix, you can watch it now.