With Da 5 Bloods Spike Lee made a Vietnam War movie from the perspective of black American soldiers. Although represented in the United States military, they often have only a supporting role in the films about the war that raged between 1955-1975. The Netflix film about four black Vietnam veterans who return to the Asian country half a century later to settle some bills there, is appreciated for filling a gap in film history.
AD – four stars
“Leave it to Spike Lee to make a genre film that has more to offer than the viewer initially expects. His Vietnam drama Da 5 Bloods is not only an exciting adventure film but also a history lesson on how black American soldiers in the military have been treated over the years. “
“Originally the story was supposed to be made into a movie by Oliver Stone, but he dropped out and Lee left his mark on the project. He starts with the historical statement by boxing legend Mohammed Ali explaining why he does not want to fight in Vietnam as a black American.”
“The whole film is peppered with examples of black soldiers who have been treated unfairly. Lee also quotes on the loose. Even Wagner’s Die Walkure, in homage to Apocalypse Now, he pulls out of the closet. But his film is mainly about brotherhood and racism. That makes his film topical. “
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De Volkskrant – three stars
“It is not out of place in a film that does enjoy battlefield scenes, but stays away from heroism. Da 5 Bloods constantly keeps the viewer at a distance, the film mainly wants to be a commentary on the war and all those previous Vietnam films. “
“Lee has the gold rush on his veterans and confronts the men with the moral wrong of the battle at the time. And rubs our gruesome real image on the retina, of the massacre at My Lai by the Americans.”
“Not everything in the unexpected narrative structure works equally well. The complications with a French mine-clearing team (in the present) are not only bland but also somewhat bland. Some plot turns are easily cut off by Lee and his (three) co-screenwriters. And dialogue should sometimes emphatically for the transfer of historical context. “
“But Lee’s distinct whimsy commands admiration. Da 5 Bloods belongs in the Vietnam film canon. “
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NRC – two stars
“Lee has not wanted to choose between serious drama, adventure and comedy. The veterans in Da 5 Bloods are looking for a hidden treasure of gold bars in addition to their friend. Da 5 Bloods is also too explicit a history lesson. The schoolmaster-like references to highlights and lows from the history of black America follow each other quickly. “
At first glance, it seems bold that Lee has turned veteran Paul (Delroy Lindo) into a Trump fan, with Make America Great Againhats. He belongs to the small group of black Americans – less than 10 percent – who support Trump. But it soon becomes clear that Paul suffered serious psychological damage during the war. He is primarily a patient. “
“Lee makes his anti-Trump message all too clear and direct. That need may be understandable, but such pamphletism doesn’t really help the movie move forward.”
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The Telegraph – three stars
“As he often does, Spike Lee kicks off his two-and-a-half-hour film with a photomontage in which he puts the suppression of black America into a historical perspective. In addition to the new Vietnam adventures of his main characters, we will also see them later during the war, but then as the men of the age who are now. Slowly, along two intertwined timelines, a story unfolds, in which the tensions continue to increase. “
“In Spike Lee’s best work (Do the right thing, Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman) he knows how to pack his message flawlessly. This time he is less successful, because the screenplay is coincidental with coincidences and his direction looks messy.”
“Still, Da 5 Bloods continues to fascinate, while the importance of what Lee has to say now feels greater than ever. Because his film makes it clear in an amusing and sometimes downright harrowing way that today’s Black Lives Matter movement is on the shoulders of giants, who have previously fought this battle against racial inequality. Sadly, that struggle seems far from over. “
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