A Poorly Rolled "Joint"

Rating: 3/10 (16 June 2020)

Anybody that gave this film more than 5 stars is either being paid to do so, or only rated it that high because of the director. A 92% critic rating? Give me a break.
I really don't like Spike Lee, but I had high hopes for this movie. I am a big fan of Vietnam era movies and even though I knew the "white man racist, Donald Trump bad" themes would be pushed, I tried to be open minded, but this movie just was not good.
You have a group of great actors with really bad acting (I was extremely disappointed with Chadwick Boseman's performance). A treasure hunting plot that has been done successfully dozens of times before absolutely falls apart here. An unbelievably predictable story. Poorly written characters (Paul & Otis seem to be the only one with story arks, everyone else is just there for the ride) and a bizarre soundtrack.
The flashbacks where all of the characters are the same actors that play their older selves also seemed really lazy too. A grueling 2.5 hour run time also made the movie feel like a chore to watch instead of something enjoyable. Lastly, the preachiness that I mentioned before became the punchline to the film but I suppose that is what Lee was going for anyways.
The reason I gave this film 3 stars is because there were times when I felt that the film COULD redeem itself, but never did. I like that it touched on PTSD and mental illness, as well as inequality and civil rights, but that was it. Just a touch. No resolution. No answers. Just a quick nod.
Bottom Line: the film had potential to be a good story while also addressing important social issues, but ultimately fell flat on almost all fronts. Felt like I was watching a movie that was thrown together by an amateur director.