BLOODY MESS

Rating: 5/10 (23 June 2020)

A sprawling, Vietnam Vet, gold hunt, family reconciliation, Black Lives Matter opus from Spike Lee? Careful what you wish for.
Never know with a Spike Lee Joint, and achingly, in spite of a series of great intentions, and moments of brilliance, "Da 5 Bloods" drags, confuses, and eventually crumbles. It has a rushed feeling, as if Spike wanted to strike quickly to make a film for the moment, and who can blame him? Perhaps he'll revisit, edit and tidy this Disjoint into the coherent classic that lurks beneath.
There are moments though.
Delroy Lindo in an anguished role of a misguided, bullying, suffering Vet, is absolutely superb in a hallucinatory, Shakespearean monologue as he crashes through the jungle. Spike GoPro's his head for a distorted, uncomfortably close selfie experience usually reserved for skateboarding YouTube clips. It is sensational.
Chadwick Boseman, as a fallen brother and de facto group leader, appears in flashbacks as a young, virile black Jesus figure, commanding the screen as much as his comrades in arms.
Lee's alternating use of aspect ratios to time travel is a clever move that allows the film to flow seamlessly, bringing his audience into and out of the moment in proper rhythm. Sadly, it is a bit lost on the tiny Netflix screens this is streamed on. "Da 5 Bloods" screams to belong on a gargantuan theatre screen.
Besides a sloppy and convoluted plot line concerning some loot looting, the greatest misstep is using aging actors in both present and flashback sequences. It just looks er, goofy. Unfortunately secondary acting is also weak, even from the usually fine Jean Reno. A father and daughter sideline is not just awkward, but again, impossible to digest because of a faulty time line. And on it goes. Is this an important movie? Maybe, it sure has a lot to say, but Spike has handled this much better in the past.
At a watch-checking two and a half hours, this would work oh so well as a lean ninety minute adventure. A director's cut in reverse if you will.

hipCRANK