Da 5 Bloods (2020)

As Spike Lee was supposed to be the president of the now -no go-Covid-72th Cannes festival , his latest film, Da 5 Bloods, was supposed to be part of an -OUT OF COMPETITION-slot.  and it would've been a treat to see it there, on the big screen, with all the commotion and especially NOW, when the #BlackLivesMatter movement is Right on, spot On.

A Vietnam flashback film, action drama movie, old folks heist flick combined with Spike's old agenda, racism, and black injustice all fit together in a nicer, longer format, now put together by Netflix, in their first colaboration. I saw last BlacKkKlansman in Cannes in 2018 and like it, almost loved it if  I would've forgot his always fervent agenda and dogfights. BlackKk went on to win the best screenplay for Lee at the next Oscars edition !

This is a brilliant filmmaker (and I mean FILM), who would do much better if he gets off social activism and a political agenda. But now all this with Spike its becoming Cliche. Anyway now he has 3 1/2 hours to play with Vietnam, Martin Luther King, the brothers and the bloods, retribution, sin, and remorse, Marvin Gaye songs, some French attached (a colonial baddie by Jean Reno, a n ecological hipster by Melanie Thierry, I guess all that would've been great for Cannes and a French release, Mais Oui!).

Then threre's the cast, a marvelous -over-the -top and Career best Delroy Lindo as Paul !-definetly an Oscar nomination and WIN, if this can work out with a non-theatrical release in time of all releases being non-theatrical. The other 3 bloods left are Otis- Clarke Peters (The Wire), Norm Lewis as Eddie and Isiah Whitlock jr. as Melvin. And young "Blood, as Paul's son shows up -Jonathan Majors (the upcoming Lovecraft Country).

I wonder if Spike didn't try to attract bigger box office names to this, old friends, people whom he helped shaped their career (Denzel, Sam L..; Larry F. ?). Not that these guys don't work, they do, totally. But I would've loved to see Eddie Murphy and Wesley Snipes per se, or Billy Dee W or Carl Weather, or yes, rambling on, but we got Chadwick Boseman as Stormin' Norman (yeah, man, The Black Panther no less, take it as a statement and a BO staple as well), the 5th Blood and key piece of this jungle puzzle, in which somehow Kelly's Heroes meets Triple Frontier (last year similar Treasure of Sierra Madre take on Netflix) meets, well, The Treasure of Sierra Madre , as quoted ("we don't need no stinkin' badges again). 
Great war classical music by of course, Terence Blanchard, here with a mega horn section, all the strings in the world and yes, more horns ! And did I mention the Marvin Gaye songs ? Also well included in the story line...
 3 1/2 or 7 out of 10 !

-couldve been an eight for some restrain, restriction of self-indulgence and pointed in your eye ideology, we are all here, man, #BlackLivesMatter, #RestinPower (even pronounced in the film).
Its a powerful film disguised as a genre ride, a Political joint, and I can say its probably the best flick on netflix this year, and will remain as one of poignant movies of 2012. In a theater very close to you, not in Cannes, where this would've been welcomed with a warm applause ! Kudos Spike, especially that continuous oneshot in the camera monologue by Delroy Lindo.s Paul, as expected, made me feel the power of your filmmaking virtuosity !