Masterpiece With a Masterful Performance

Rating: 9/10 (26 June 2020)

First and foremost, Delroy Lindo gives the performance of not just his lifetime, but of Hollywood's. With no hint of hyperbole, it is one of the best performances in film history.
Lindo's performance aside, this movie sure does get a lot of hate. Obviously, anyone giving a movie 1/10 should just be ignored outright. People giving this film a 3/10 were most likely expecting "Missing In Action 5" or "Da 5 Rambos". They probably gave Extraction 10/10. Those giving the film around 5 or 6 may have missed the nuance. And this movie is ALL nuance. Given it's 2 hr 40 min runtime, if you're not following the undercurrent it must drag on like a row boat down the Mekong. The film takes hard turns between genres, so it is not a film for heavy eyes. Nod off for a second and you may wake to think you're watching a different film. And that's a good thing. It's a wonderful thing. It's no secret that Spike Lee likes to sprinkle his films with an homage here and there. Da 5 Bloods is no exception and he does so brilliantly. Every piece of historical footage, every character's action, each line, camera angle, and film style choice (and there are many) come together in a celluloid collage feeling somewhere between free jazz and the proverbial American Quilt. If you're looking for an action film, a buddy film, or a nice n' tidy linear story like BlacKkKlansman this ain't it. If you're looking for Spike Lee's magnum opus, you found it.