Da 5 Bloods Parent Guide

At the height of the Vietnam war, five African-American soldiers recovered a fortune in gold being shipped by their own government. Seeing an opportunity to strengthen their communities at home, they decide to bury the gold and come back for it when the war ends. Their platoon leader, Stormin’ Norman (Chadwick Boseman) was killed during the war, and now, fifty years later, his platoon is coming back to recover his remains…and the gold. But things have changed. Otis (Clarke Peters) has a bad hip, Eddie (Norm Lewis) has had some business problems, and Paul (Delroy Lindo) has refused to seek any treatment for his PTSD, leaving him bitter, angry, and confused. Now that they’re back together, though, things should go just fine… right?

Da Five Bloods represents an ambitious approach to two of the most contested issues in American history: the Vietnam war and the civil rights movement. Taking on both at once explains the two-and-a-half hour runtime – there’s a lot of ground to cover. Surprisingly, this production is less of a directly political film than some of Lee’s other work (say, Do The Right Thing), but it’s one which doesn’t shy away from its political opinions as it explores the characters’ lives. Paul, played by Delroy Lindo, is brought directly to the forefront, as is his relationship with his son David (Jonathan Majors). Unpacking their experiences touches on several political and racial issues, but constantly maintains focus on the all too human aspect of the costs of war and racism.

Now in fairness, Spike Lee’s unique directorial style is not for everyone. It can be jarring if you’re not prepared for it, but I think the results are well worth it. That said, there are also a list of content concerns that make this unsuitable for family viewing. The violence is (I think deliberately) over-the-top, with gouts of CG blood spurting from bullet holes and the stumps of limbs, which definitely makes this a risky choice for viewing while you eat. Much more unpleasant is the documentary footage of real killings, including a clip of one of the self-immolations which occurred at the beginning of the war. Then there is the profanity, which gets to be a lot. The characters drop 134 “f-bombs”, which go well with the real bombs we see in the documentary footage.

But if you navigate between the profanity and gore, there’s an important story being told – another part of Spike Lee’s style. Whether you agree with his positions or not, Lee is worth watching, if for nothing other than his talent behind the camera in shooting smart scenes and pulling incredible performances out of equally talented actors.