Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Humanity is more horrifying, complex, and hopeful than we might think.
In his latest joint, Spike Lee pulls no punches as he looks at the Vietnam war through the eyes of four black soldiers who return to the country of their trauma to locate the remains of their fallen Squad Leader. While I am definitely not an expert in war-related cinema, I haven’t been able to think of a film about the Vietnam war, PTSD, and a group of black soldiers. While there have been a few films about these elements separately, no one has dared to do all of these together. Though Da 5 Bloods pulls from many other classic films, Spike Lee still has his unique fingerprints all over this impressive feat.
As he is known for, Lee goes at the subject matter with a “no holds barred” attitude that sets him apart from other filmmakers today. Just as he did with BlacKkKlansman, he doesn’t ease us into the story, but starts off with a bang, cannon-balling us into the action whether we’re ready or not.
While watching Da 5 Bloods, I couldn’t help but be cognizant of my own lack of knowledge. While I did go to school and I’m sure they taught us things about history, I don’t remember being taught much about the civil rights movement. Obviously, we talked about Martin Luther King Jr., but I’m not sure that we discussed other prominent leaders of that time.
