Brilliant, thrilling, and timely

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2020)

There is so much to love about Da 5 Bloods, and I think it has something to offer several different audiences. Let's see if I can break it all down for you:
If you're looking for a film that feels like a war movie, and has action and excitement to spare, then I think you'll get just what you want out of Da 5 Bloods. I was thrilled by all these sequences, and often couldn't believe my eyes as the violence escalated. It was a truly remarkable and downright disturbing thing to watch. Whoever handled the effects on this film did a masterful job at making the violence feel real and horrifying, even in the times when the blood splatter was clearly CGI. Spike Lee also knows how to film the action, so even in the chaos of battle, you can keep a tab on where people are and what is happening to our heroes.
However, if you're looking for a film about the bonds of friendship forged in war, Da 5 Bloods has that in spades. We get to see these men who have grown close over the years, and on this journey they find common ground and discuss the past, present, and future. It didn't take long before I felt like I knew these men and could see what brought them together and what threatened to come between them. It's not always smooth sailing and we get to see how they all deal with conflict. It's a heart-wrenching journey at times, and I was close to tears more than once. You start to realize that, even with all the crazy stuff happening, it's the bonds of friendship and love that are the most vital.
Finally, if you're looking for a film that talks about the history of racism in both America and Vietnam, then look no further than Da 5 Bloods. Spike Lee opens the film with one of his patented montages of news footage from the past that details some of the things this film will address (or puts certain aspects of it in context.) Throughout the movie he will even insert shots of news reports or printed media when someone references a historic moment from the past, as if he wants to make it clear to viewers that this movie may be fictional, but the events they are discussing really happened. There is symbolism in other ways throughout the film that calls back to the racial themes.
There might be even more to Da 5 Bloods that flew over my head, but these are the three most obvious genres you'll find when watching this film. Now I'll admit, some of the more political stuff that he addresses would turn me off in some movies. It serves as a distraction from the plot, and I don't enjoy when a film-maker takes extra time just to hammer home the themes instead of addressing them in an organic way in the story. However, there's something about this moment in history that made me forgive Spike Lee's choices here. This doesn't seem like a time to be subtle, and perhaps Da 5 Bloods is the slap in the face some people need. In every other way I loved this movie, and it's one of those rare films that I want to watch repeatedly so I can analyze and pick it apart to see what I missed the first time. It now claims the title as my favorite Spike Lee film.