Not a patch on BlacKkKlansman

Rating: 5/10 (12 June 2020)

As a huge fan of Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman", I was expecting big things - sadly, "Da 5 Bloods" is in no way; shape or form, on par with his 2018 blockbuster.
There are many positives to this film. The editing was smooth (transitions of aspect ratios), the archive footage spliced throughout added a layer of realism to the cause/message of the film, I loved the numerous digs at Trump/Fascism, the way the Bloods romanticised Stormin' Norman, the Hannoi Hannah segments & the films social/political commentary exploring greed & patriotism.
Several scenes are extremely tense & gruesome (the minefields/images of war atrocities), but once the men find their treasure the film begins to feel more like Indiana Jones (showdown at the temple & the double crossing) rather than depicting brotherhood/effects of war.
The redemption arc for Paul, a misguided Xenophobe with PTSD is quite touching, however, the Bloods are shown in a very masculine/aggressive light (Paul's son is the exception). As Lee refrains from giving them an ounce of vulnerability, their performances come off rather lacklustre (despite Lindo trying his dam dest).
Too often, the storyline goes off on tangents, the script repeats itself & the plot loses momentum. Lee overloads with too many ideas, leaving little room to explore issues such as the GI's fathering children with Vietnamese sex workers and the connection between Black-power politics & anti-imperialism. The film should have dedicated more time to actually detailing the war through the prism of black experiences, instead of simply implying it was hard.
The ages of the men in Nam & present day are the exact same (minus Boseman's character), TiÃªn looks 40ish (when Otis is nearing 70) his daughter looks 30+ (it's all a bit confusing). The score was utterly forgettable & the presence of Marvin Gaye's music fitted really well with the films message, but sadly didn't really work in the scenes they were used in.