Da 5 Bloods ( 2020 film review)

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Star – Delroy LIndo My Rating *** Genre – Action/Drama Run Time – 2 hr 34 Minutes. Certificate – 18 Country – U.S.A Oscar – 1 Nomination Awards – Wins & Nominations = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = So ‘Da 5 Bloods’, Spike Lee’s first film with Netlix and, sadly, Chadwick Boseman’s last full movie before his sad death, digital manipulation needed to complete Boseman’s role in ‘Ma Raineys Black Bottom’, his final final film, it was that quick. He looked an amazing talent in his work so far with the pathos of Sidney Poitier and the acting guns of Denzel and surely an Oscar or two denied if he lived longer. I honestly thought he would be the new Bond. Life is cruel. Cancer is cruel. For some unknown reason these Netflix movies seem to have much lower declared budgets than mainstream studios, just $40 million required for this one although most of this set in South East Asia to fit its Vietnam War themes. The cast is pretty good with Delroy Lindo in the lead and Clarke Peters from The Wire some of the five bloods but Spike wanted Denzel, and his son, to play one of the five bloods in the first scripting. ===The Cast=== • Delroy Lindo as Paul • Jonathan Majors as David • Clarke Peters as Otis • Norm Lewis as Eddie • Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Melvin • Johnny Trí Nguy?n as Vinh • Mélanie Thierry as Hedy Bouvier • Paul Walter Hauser as Simon • Jasper Pääkkönen as Seppo Havelin • Chadwick Boseman as "Stormin'" Norman Earl Holloway • Jean Reno as Desroche • Veronica Ngo as Hanoi Hannah • Lê Y Lan as Tiên • Nguy?n Ng?c Lâm as Quân • Sandy Huong Ph?m as Michon Vietnam War vets Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) are going back to find the remains of their leader and mentor on a trip to Vietnam, 40-years after the war ended. There they hook up with local guide and trip organizer Vinh (Johnny Trí Nguy?n) as they set out to begin their mission to find the body of Stormin Norman (Chad Boseman). Although the war was a long time ago emotions are still high in the country on the past. As they acclimatize, Paul’s son David (Jonathan Majors) pitches up in Hanoi to keep an eye on his dad, pop suffering from rage, guilt and unpredictability these days. But the trip starts well as the boys hook up with some landmine clearing charity people and then head out alone into the deepest of the jungle to find the bones of their buddy "Stormin'" Norman Earl Holloway (Chadwick Boseman). But there is another reason they are out there, one that is a distraction, the hunt for buried treasure. Through frequent flashback we learn all about Stormin Norman and the treasure, where it may be and how they are going to get it. We also learn what drives Paul’s rage and guilt. ===Results=== It’s a Spike Lee movie so lots of liberties taken in pushing black issues in most scenes, a film very much about the black experience in war than simply a treasure hunt action movie, beautifully painted over with Marvin Gay’s iconic and powerful tunes of the day. The characters in the film are named after the Temptations music group and the acting what the director wanted. It’s not subversive but that black experience and the anger that goes with is expressed fully in the humor and hurt, to the point where it’s personal for the actors. We know that black soldiers were more likely to be posted in combat situations than their drafted college counterparts, even today. They were often cannon fodder. Lee references many Vietnam film moments and other war films too, Apocalypse Now, Good Morning Vietnam and so on. But it’s also a message about racism being a lifelong open wound. You have to understand that anger when you watch any Spike Lee movie. Do The Right Thing is in my all time top ten films. ===RATINGS=== Imdb.com 6.5 /10.0 (votes) Rottentomatos.com –92% critic’s approval ===Trailer=== https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9777644