Spike Lee’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ Sees the Vietnam War Through the Eyes of Black Soldiers
Preview
The Vietnam War inspired and enraged a generation of filmmakers, from Francis Ford Coppola to Stanley Kubrick. Now, with Da 5 Bloods, director Spike Lee brings us a fresh take “through the perspective of the black soldiers,” he says.
Aging veterans Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis) and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) are still dealing with the trauma of combat and the legacy of racism years later.
When they return to Vietnam to look for the remains of their fallen squad leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the chest of gold they found during the war, their bonds are tested.
(Credit: DAVID LEE /NETFLIX © 2020)
During flashbacks that show the squad’s past, the actors also play the younger versions of their characters without de-aging technology. It’s a deliberate move meant to show a conflict’s impact. Notes writer Kevin Willmott, “The memories of war stay with veterans.”
Da 5 Bloods, Movie Premiere Friday, June 12, Netflix
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