Loose history lesson and gold caper

Rating: Null/10 (17 June 2020)

Four African American vets battle the forces of nature and a group of gunmen when they return to Vietnam looking for a hidden fortune of gold.
Director Spike Lee offers a meaningful and heartfelt film. The handful for writers inject something reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino with its sharp dialogue and flashy twist story telling. That said, everything political in Lee's 'Bloods is covered in depth in Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's 18-hour documentary series The Vietnam War (2017) or in bite size Platoon (1986).
The cast are outstanding, with too many great performances to mention them all. Chadwick Boseman is subtle and pivotal Delroy Lindo is memorable and Jean Reno cameos. Notable are Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Clarke Peters, who steals the show.
The pumping score by Lee's longtime collaborator Terence Blanchard complements the drama and graphic-like kills of Rambo (2008). Da 5 Bloods explores the consequences of the Vietnam War. But what's most interesting and emotional is a subplot of GI's relationships with local Vietnamese women, namely Otis and TiÃªn along with their child. It's odd structure allows the long running time to fly by as it closes on a profound note of hope.
Overall, a part greedy 'Nam caper flick, come loose history lesson that is both uplifting and hard hitting at the same time.