The number of films (and with that, of course, the number of reviews) that I have watched in recent months continues to decrease. And that’s not because there is nothing to watch, on the contrary. My Netflix list is still huge and I keep adding titles and my IMDb list of movies I want to see consists of 379 titles. Still, I find my escape from reality a lot less in films the last couple of months. Partly because films don’t wow me as much anymore and I’d rather prefer to walk outside for one and a half to two hours in quiet areas, than to sit at home for an even bigger part of the day. Still, I was curious about the latest film by director Spike Lee. You can have different opinions about his films, but no matter what you think, you’ll have to agree that they are always unique. Da 5 Bloods is his latest and is available on Netflix.
The story revolves around 4 Vietnam veterans returning to the country for two reasons: First, to find and bring home their dead friend and colleague, and second, to dig up a load of gold they hid. Their journey brings back memories, but also tests their mutual bond and confidence. The PTSD threatens to gain the upper hand with some, and their different ideals regularly clash.
Although Lee discusses a large number of subjects and mixes styles (sometimes with very confrontational / shocking images from the Vietnam war), the different parts never completely gel with each other. As a result, it did not always have on me the effect that the film had in my mind. There are indeed strong moments in it, but they are then mixed with situations that you can see coming from a distance. Because of these changes in tone, the story sometimes feels too artificial. The cast is strong and convincing, with Delroy Lindo in particular with his character Paul who is struggling with his past. It’s clear that the events he has been through have changed him forever, making him unpredictable. And yet because of the way Lindo plays him, you empathize with him. Da 5 Bloods is clearly a film with a vision, only the form in which it has been executed unfortunately didn’t work for me.
[score5]