Da 5 Bloods

Despite its heavy subject matter, Da 5 Bloods is a massive achievement in paying tribute to the fallen soldiers while still being greatly entertaining. This film was done on-location inside the hot and humid Vietnam jungle, meaning all the practical stunts also had to be preplanned and performed right there in the unforgiving green environment, one where any wrong step could mean the difference between life and death. While there was a use of a blue screen for shots of the helicopter during the Vietnam War, most of the other effects were real. Yet this isn’t like other huge bombastic movies with massive budgets, this was smaller and more intimate, even with its lengthy runtime.

​The score was composed by jazz legend Terence Blanchard with a 90-piece orchestra, and manages to honor all Vietnam veterans in both the heavy action scenes and the slow emotional scenes. Scoring the picture must have been much harder on Blanchard knowing he also had to contrast the score against Marvin Gaye’s album, What’s Going On, which was featured throughout the film. It’s just one of many ways this grand international epic finishes its job while meeting all these goals that normally would contradict one another. It proves why this career-best product by Spike Lee ought to be required viewing by everyone, for this right here is the future of how war will be portrayed in media.

R (DLNV)
Drama
2 hr. 34 min.

Watch it for FUN.
Watch it to feel HAPPY, SAD, and AFRAID.