Da 5 Bloods – Netflix: Another Compelling and Complex Spike Lee Film

Spike Lee is one of my favorite directors, despite the fact that he is an avid Knick's fan.  I think "Do The Right Thing" (1989) is an all-time classic and "BlacKKKlansman" was my favorite movie of 2018.  "Da 5 Bloods" is an action/drama with a complex backdrop of the psychological trauma of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement.  The first hour is on the slow side, but the last hour-and-a-half is riveting. Four Black Vietnam War Veterans reunite to return to Vietnam to bring back the remains of their fallen comrade, Stormin' Norman (Chadwick Boseman), who was their band's leader during the war.  (A little known fact – 32% of the Vietnam War soldiers were Black.)  Another more secret reason, however, is to retreive about 100 gold bars which they buried there over 30 years ago.  The four veterans are Paul (Delroy Lindo – "The Good Fight"), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Otis (Clarke Peters).  Also accompanying them is Paul's son, David (Jonathan Majors). The film primarily involves the four Veterans and their relationships with each other, Paul's relationship with David, the Veterans' demons from the war, how the Black Veterans are perceived by the Vietnamese people now, and the sacrifices made by Blacks to fight in the war despite the racism in the USA.  It's also a suspenseful action movie, with respect to finding the gold and trying to get it out of the jungle. Anchoring the film is the brilliant performance by Delroy Lindo, who for sure deserves an Academy Award nomination.  The film is on Netflix now!