Spike Lee joint on Vietnam, incendiary and cathartic

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2020)

Even if Spike Lee's unapologetically political style of filmmaking is not your cup of tea, his new film about four Vietnam veterans returning to their old battleground in search of gold that they came across on the tour of duty might be worth viewing. They are also intent on recovering the remains of their fierce commanding officer who motivated and inspired them. The story is spiked with powerful performances all around (led by an explosive Delroy Lindo) and laced with viscerally taut action sequences and a sterling soundtrack.
The timeliness of the film's message couldn't be better. The rage over how black America bore a disproportionate human cost in fighting the war in Vietnam, while at the same time African-Americans struggled to reach anything approaching societal and legal equality back home is balanced by a pained but ironclad belief in the undying honor of military service and loyalty to one's country. The film also has a "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" feel when it tackles themes of friendship, family and hunting for gold.
Although not always smooth, with an occasional narrative drift and a late undisciplined lapse into preachiness, the film has an awful lot to say about the overlap between United States foreign policy missteps and social injustice at home. Not all the main characters are given a solid introduction and backstory, but their group dynamic becomes quite clear. The actual war experience for these men is never conveyed in-depth, except in occasional flashbacks. Despite these flaws, this film has many suspenseful, poignant and hard-hitting moments. You will barely notice the running time. It's a punch in the gut, as it touches on several unpleasant truths about American history and goes down as one of Spike Lee's more challenging films. Recommended to those who are open-minded.