Won't convert non-fans of Spike Lee, but I thought it was one of his best yet

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2020)

I've never disliked a Spike Lee movie, but I'm often a little mixed (Black KKKlansman for example had some great stuff, but I couldn't quite get it to 4/5 personally).
This one surprised me by how much I liked it. It's impressive because it doesn't feel like a movie made by a man in his 60s- there's a real energy and vibrancy to it. I haven't seen all his movies, and might need to reflect on it a little more, but this is second only to his classic Do The Right Thing, in my opinion.
It's very well-paced for a 2.5 hour movie, with an opening third that is comparatively slower (but still important as far as setup goes), it's beautifully shot (a couple of slightly clunky CGI effects shots aside), the acting is amazing, and on top of having the political and societal commentary one expects out of a Spike Lee film, it's also just a very engaging, oftentimes very intense, character driven story.
It satisfies very well as both a piece of entertainment and as a work of art intended to give its audience some food for thought.
I could see complaints against a lack of subtlety- however, he's highlighting many issues that shouldn't still be cultural problems, so maybe that lack of nuance is somewhat justified.
And it's not a criticism, more a warning that it is a particularly violent war movie. There's some brief Vietnam War footage in the opening and then also about 2/3s of the way through, that is definitely intended to shock and disturb.
The length and confronting themes/images mean it's not for everyone, but for fans of Spike Lee- or anyone wanting to see something dramatically satisfying yet also sometimes quite unconventional- it's a must watch.