We don’t need to escalate

You see, war is not the answer

For only love can conquer hate

You know we’ve got to find a way

These lyrics have been etched into the public consciousness through Marvin Gaye’s seminal cry for order and understanding in “What’s Going On”, a song that relates quite significantly to Spike Lee’s most recent film, Da 5 Bloods, which situates itself around the period in which Gaye would be singing this song to adoring crowds, who were aware of the gravity of the message he conveyed, but not the depths to the anguish he felt when commenting on the plight of the needless people falling victim to the system. There’s a scene midway through the film, just before the central storyline kicks in, where the main characters walk through the Vietnamese jungle and begin to sing along to another timeless song from the namesake album, “What’s Happening”, a song that harbours a similar sentiment, particularly the refrain, where emphasis is placed on the repeated lines “what’s happening?”. This is just one of the countless poignant moments in the film that cement this as yet another towering masterpiece from a director whose grasp is always firmly on the collective cultural pulse, and who once again descends into the depths of the human condition to deliver a shockingly brilliant glimpse into the existential issues that have pervaded literature for generations, and take on a wealth of new meanings when filtered through Lee’s caustic but fascinating perspective. There seems to be a reason why his work isn’t ever branded as “films” but rather “joints” – regardless of their quality, his work reflects a keen understanding of broader metaphysical issues that can’t be reduced to any description other than memorable experiences that enrapture the viewer and take them on an unforgettable journey to the thematic core of its particular story. Da 5 Bloods is a powerful, visceral work of art, one that is unwavering in its commitment to imparting a certain kind of message without neglecting the artistic integrity that Lee consistently employs in his films. In short, to avoid all the hyperbolic verbosity that comes from experiencing something burning with such unbridled rage, Lee has made a film that transcends categorization, a complex combination of narrative conventions and political ideologies, catalyzed with a growing sense of unease in the world that the director has never been apprehensive about representing with stark honesty and unflinching sincerity – and ultimately, it ends up being one of the finest films he’s ever made, and a piece that could possibly help define the current era of filmmaking in innumerable ways, through its provocative content and stunning execution that instantly launches this to the top of the director’s varied cinematic output over the past three decades.

What makes the Marvin Gaye song that persists throughout the film (with no less than three separate instances of it appearing, all at pivotal dramatic moments where its meaning enriches the accompanying images) is the simplicity of the refrain – “what’s going on?” is a timeless message, a question that can be asked of any situation, a moment of vulnerability that every one of us tends to have when confronted with the disconcerting state of the world, the pain in Gaye’s voice reflecting the heartbreaking melancholy these characters are enduring. Throughout the film, Lee is asking the audience, or perhaps leading a rallying cry, to look beneath the current circumstances and question the reality of our own individual place in the contemporary world, with the repetition of the chorus serving more than just a musical function, but contributing to the narrative. Looking at the context in which this song is used is a good entry-point into understanding the success of this film, and the extents to which Lee goes to put together this agonizing manifesto on humanity. Naturally, his work takes the form of something that grapples the line between fiction and reality, with Da 5 Bloods being yet another chance for him to espouse his unique perspective through the lens of cinema. Lee’s films occur at the intersection between unhinged anger and powerful artistic expression, filled to the brim with a kind of intoxicating vigour that isn’t all that common in a film like this, especially in an industry where such bold portrayals of more serious issues, such a war, have only been laid this bare in more abstract or independently-minded works, with the majority preferring to prioritize the story rather than focusing on an uncomfortable but important message (not that they’re all that incompatible – this film shows how effective they can be if a method of artistic symbiosis is employed). His unique style and somewhat unconventional approach to his process of storytelling, have come to define him as a filmmaker, and when coupled with his decades of experience, whereby he’s navigated many genres and worked through numerous tropes and conventions, the results are nothing short of extraordinary. It comes together in Da 5 Bloods, which flourishes into perhaps Lee’s most ambitious films, a sprawling epic in the vein of the great war films of the past, where the scope wasn’t just a narrative tool, but at the very nucleus of these stories, the reason why audiences were so beguiled by them. Recency bias aside, it’s not all that absurd to consider this to be amongst Lee’s greatest works, not only because of the message it conveys, but the form it takes as well, which is unprecedented even for someone who may have cemented his place in film history thirty years ago, but continues to blaze a trail in the industry in a way no other filmmaker can.

Da 5 Bloods is certainly a very challenging film, and it never promises to be comfortable in any way, setting itself up as a searing drama from the very outset of the film. Lee has built a career out of taking a bold stance on many issues, and in the very first moments of this film, he sets the foundation for what is going to inevitably become one of the most haunting depictions of the war ever put on film, specifically because, despite it being one of a myriad of films centred on the Vietnam War, it is clearly taking a very different approach, focusing on an entirely new set of ideas and historical perspectives that were rarely ever given the attention Lee affords it here. The director is unsilencing the voice of the unknown, black soldier that has been seemingly lost to history, and whose stories Lee is intent on resurrecting, even going so far as to mention some of them by name, weaving them into the narrative tapestry of this film, making sure they are not forgotten. Make no mistake – despite its appearance Da 5 Bloods is not exactly what it appears to be – it is far from the rousing war film that shows unity in overcoming adversity, and while it does seem to be heading in that direction, it becomes very clear that Lee was intent on boldly making a terrifying odyssey, presenting us with a story that gets to the very root of a horrifying version of reality that may be heightened when conveyed through the lens of Lee’s camera, but is all the more enthralling, since it has its roots in a very authentic set of emotions, which are raw, stirring and genuinely agonizing. He completely eviscerates the very concept of subtlety, disposing of it entirely through the immense ferocity that resounds throughout this film, replacing it with a truly unsettling and thoroughly disconcerting view of humanity. Lee treads through challenging narrative territory by portraying deep existential issues, employing themes of identity (particularly those to do with socio-political views of race relations, and the more intimate issues of ageing and trauma), that were resonant at the time in which the film situates itself, and remains relevant to the broad cultural zeitgeist of the present day, in unexpected ways.

Something is often said when Lee releases a new film (or in looking back at some of his earlier work, with films like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X being upheld as masterpieces of resistance, socially-charged cinema, both at the time and in retrospect) is that they’re “essential” – they seem to be made as a product of their cultural and temporal surroundings with Lee commenting on the world that encircles his work at that particular time. This applies very heavily to Da 5 Bloods, which is extraordinarily timely, often commenting outright on real-world issues in fascinating moments of deconstructing the sacrosanct partition between the film and its audience. The film ultimately has two functions in this regard – it’s an enthralling adventure that enraptures the viewer, but also a haunting tale of injustice in its various forms. Lee combines history with the present day in this haunting tale of iniquity, past and present, chiselling a distressing elegy to those who have suffered great wrongdoing, whether directly or as a result of being victims of an institutionalized system. Lee once again doesn’t waver from making his intentions clear, insofar he doesn’t want to simply comment on the system and its problems through subtle, subversive storytelling – rather, he seeks to crucify it and hold its agents provocateurs accountable. He does give the system a human face in the form of the archival footage scattered throughout the film (making it inherently postmodern in how it uses fragments of reality as a means of bolstering its own semi-fictional narrative, grounding it in the real world), but it doesn’t seem content in positioning the fault onto a single antagonist. While is definitely convenient to see Jean Reno’s smirky French expatriate businessman as the reason for the unravelling of the carefully-curated order these characters depend on, or to blame it on the omnipotent malice of politics (Lee once again does not deter from hiding his umbrage for some of the men who have occupied the Oval Office, past and present), the fault lies in the existence of a legacy of but nameless, anonymous individuals throughout history that set the foundation of inequality and injustice, which Lee clearly intends to dismantle through this voracious work of unmitigated anger.

In considering the essentiality of Lee’s work, it is undeniably important to look at how these films come about – he’s definitely not a docile filmmaker, as evident by his career being characterized by a kind of insatiable anger, where his work reflects a disregard for the idea that filmmaking is defined by the follies of mindless creativity. With the exception of a few outliers in his filmography, Lee’s films are always attempting to say something, and Da 5 Bloods is yet another chance for him to channel his unquenchable fury, developed over decades of seeing and hearing of widespread injustice, into something both distinctive and productive. This film doesn’t need to justify its existence or advocate for its responsibility to convey some overarching, earth-shattering message – it simply endures as a work of social and historical commentary, informed heavily by the combination of anger Lee and his collaborators have often demonstrated, and by a deeper curiosity for the human condition that pervades much of his work, with this particular film not being an exception. Da 5 Bloods sees the director putting together a mosaic of contemporary disillusionment, one that speaks to the current state of the world, but also a imparts a weathered wisdom to future generations. The same spark of turbulent genius that launched his career remains here, and Lee reconfigures the raw, unimpeachable anger he feels into unhinged, poetic artistic expression, sculpting a soaring masterpiece from the splinters of a traumatised world. There’s an urgency to Da 5 Bloods, with the anger remaining the same, only now being siphoned through the lens of maturity and experience – Lee is now an elder statesman of cinema, albeit one that is still just as unsettled as he was as a young, burgeoning filmmaker who burst onto the scene by virtue of his refusal to settle for the limp representation of important issues that existed in mainstream film. This film is undeniably indicative of a new period in Lee’s career, one where he is intent on exposing the same injustice and challenging the system, but in a way that doesn’t abandon his youthful rage, but instead develops it in a new way, adopting a mentality that only comes with decades of experience in a truly unstable world, and the valour to engage with it on a level that allows some artistic merit to come out of the most challenging issues.

In presenting us with this unsettling version of reality, Lee channels his perspective into the characters, who are expertly played by a roster of fantastic character actors, each one of them interpreting these roles with a dynamic understanding of what was required of them. Lee has often assembled memorable ensembles, with Da 5 Blood standing as one of his most impressive in terms of the characterization he gives to the individuals that populate the film. Everyone is operating on all cylinders, with beloved veterans such as Clarke Peters and Isiah Whitlock Jr. being absolutely incredible as two of the titular “Bloods”, as well as Norm Lewis, who makes a remarkable impression in one of his first starring roles in a film after decades of commanding the stage as one of his generation’s most intimidatingly brilliant theatrical actors. There is a sincerity that comes with these performances, with each one of the actors delivering complex, lived-in performances, having their own moments that are indelible to the film – whether it be Peters’ character (who is the de facto leader of the squad, and often the voice of reason) discovering that he left quite a legacy in the wake of his departure from Vietnam half a century before, or Whitlock’s Melvin, who functions as something of the comic relief, but proves to have not lost the immense bravery he had when he was fighting in combat decades before (having perhaps the most heroic moment in the whole film). Even the peripheral characters played by Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser and Jasper Pääkkönen have an important function in grounding the film and adding further nuance to its portrayal of contemporary injustice in contrast with the atrocities of the war – this isn’t their story, and they are undeniably secondary to it, but they make an enormous impact, particularly in how they represent the younger generation, which is where Jonathan Majors, an actor primed for a breakthrough, also makes an impact, playing a reserved young man who decides to go on this voyage, not for the glory that his older companions are seeking, but to resolve the spectres of a past that he didn’t experience, but rather was the victim of through a difficult relationship with his father. The theme of fatherhood and brotherhood pervades Da 5 Bloods and is very much reflective in these performances, which are truly unforgettable, and show how Lee works so exceptionally well with his actors.

However, Da 5 Bloods belongs almost entirely to Delroy Lindo. While designed as an ensemble-piece made to give each of its actors equal importance in the progression of the plot, it’s certainly undeniable that Lindo stands out amongst all of them. Without any exaggeration, this is one of the most impressive performances given in the last decade, and by far a peak for Lee’s actors, who have always been incredible, but never risen to the heights that Lindo effortlessly soars to through his portrayal of Paul. He’s the film’s most unlikeable character, but still its protagonist, a man haunted by the past to the point where he is singularly unable to process his trauma in a productive way, lashing out through various means, whether it be moments of rage-fueled violence against anyone who inadvertently triggers him or forces him to recall his uncomfortable memories, or through more subtle means, such as being a fiercely loyal supporter of Donald Trump. Much has been said about Lindo’s character as the embodiment of the older, militant conservatives who are far from misguided but genuinely stand by what they believe. Where Lindo’s character differs is that he know he’s not on the right side of history – he is fully aware of the fact that he’s against a movement that will define the future of his country and impact the lives of entire generations of people, including that of his liberal son – and perhaps that’s the very point. Lindo is beyond astonishing in Da 5 Bloods – this is what a performance given by an actor who has spent decades in the shadows, consistently reliable but rarely the star, but now is afforded the chance to command the screen, looks like – and it is unbelievable. He makes an impression from the moment he appears on the screen, and gradually becomes more of a looming presence, with the plot slowly converging to become his story – the image of him chopping through the jungle while wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, is bound to become one of the most iconic scenes in contemporary cinema, both for the message it conveys and the might embedded in Lindo’s portrayal of this extraordinarily complex character. The focus on Lindo as the central protagonist (or perhaps anti-hero) manifests when he breaks off from the group, and ventures off by himself, delivering a series of monologues directly to the camera that are some of the finest moments of acting I’ve seen in quite some time. This is a performance for the ages, a chance for Lindo, an unappreciated veteran of the industry, to get his moment – and the fact that it comes from Lee, a director with whom he did some of his greatest work, makes it even more poignant. Da 5 Bloods is rightly sold on the strength of its ensemble, but by the end of it, its Lindo’s ferocious, intrepid performance that we remember more than anything else.

Da 5 Bloods is ultimately formed from Lee’s decision to revisit history in a way that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to revisionism, but rather carries more depth in how it uses the careful manipulation of it to convey a particular message. It’s not a mistake that the cornerstone song of the film, other than the aforementioned “What’s Going On?” is The Chambers Brothers’ “Time Has Come Today”, another rousing anti-war anthem that has been used very often but is repurposed to have an even deeper meaning here. It carries a message that has found its way to the present age – the past is not something to either simply admire or mourn, but rather should be actively pondered, particularly when considering themes such as injustice during times of conflict. Lee doesn’t evoke the idea that the past is being repeated – rather, he boldly states that it never left in the first place, only transfiguring itself into other situations, demonstrating linearity to history, and how it intermingles with the present in defining the future. Da 5 Bloods is essentially an opportunity for Lee to once again show that he is fully willing to use his artistic license in a way that allows him to reclaim the past through his own subversive methods, creating an eclectic blend of ideas that converge into a truly unforgettable war drama. The film is blistering with anger and simmering with distinctive backhanded humour that adds nuance and depth to the film on a humanistic level, but ultimately doesn’t distract from the central premise of overcoming obstacles through coming to terms with your own identity and working through the past, whether it be the scars left by your ancestors and embedded in your genetic composition, or your own psychological quandaries that need to be processed, with the best possible way of working through them being actively engaging with the very root of that trauma. Da 5 Bloods is far more than just an action-packed adventure about finding treasure – it’s a potent character study that takes bold steps to portray reality in its own distinct way, and the more ethereal concerns of an entire generation, and their search for some kind of meaning. As the song states, “the time has come/there’s no place to run” – and Lee consolidates this by crafting a powerful ode to friendship and camaraderie, and the lengths to which it’s difficult to escape the past, but even worse to try and actively avoid addressing it.

However, waxing poetic of the underlying psychological commentary doesn’t mean we can ignore that Da 5 Bloods is, at its heart, a war film, and we shouldn’t be too distracted by the overriding cultural narrative, because it would detract from the fact that, in terms of its form, this is an incredible journey into the past that contributes to the genre, and that takes a bilateral approach to a view of war – both in the technical scope and in how it focuses on the underlying tale of friendship and camaraderie. Lee is a director who could easily oscillate between intimate dramas and bolder, more audacious works – but Da 5 Bloods exceeds anything he’s ever done before in how it is constructed. Visually, it has the appearance of a classic war film in terms of the documentary-style approach, particularly in the flashback scenes that give context to the film. The cinematography, helmed by director of photography Newton Thomas Sigel, is stark and sweeping, capturing the ugliness of war while still presenting us with some breathtaking moments. Whether it be in representing the scenes of violent conflict that pepper the film, or capturing the most intimate moments shared between characters, Spiegel’s camera is used as a tool to build a world out of nothing but the gorgeous landscapes and the magnificent performances that occupy it, facilitated by a powerful story by Lee, who composes an achingly beautiful war film that can be both brutally violent, or poignantly tender, moulding a compelling war film that can stand amongst all the greatest entries into the genre, rising to the heights of many other films that take a similarly distressing approach to portraying the wounds of war – the comparisons to films like Apocalypse Now and Come and See may seem like grandiose attempts to overestimate the merits of the film and put it into esteemed company – but they become increasingly true the further we venture into the nightmarish vision of conflict Lee presents us with here. Da 5 Bloods is a film that always feels like it is on the verge of eruption, always threatening to descend into chaotic violence – but Lee is constantly alert, making sure ot keep it under control and deliver something that uses brutal imagery in an effective way, keeping it nuanced and elegant, even when the film is at its most bleak and harrowing.

Da 5 Bloods is an incredible experience, and the fact that such an ambitious, galvanizing work of cinema was made by Lee is astonishing – not that he hasn’t made audacious films before, but rather he has pushed the envelope further than he ever has here, and provides us with a film that I have no doubt it going to come to be considered one of the great American epics by future generations. The key to understanding why this film is such an achievement comes in the realization that it is never heavy-handed but rather filled to the brim with a kind of authenticity that can only come from the mind of a filmmaker who knows exactly what he wants to say and makes it clear that he intended to do it his way. He finds the perfect balance between disruptive historical narrative, venturing into the past to deliver a heartwrenching account of the war, and modern social commentary, where the timeliness of current issues intermingle with the haunting nature of the past. The director doesn’t avoid situating these themes in the real world, making it very clear that he is disregarding the entire concept of a work being apolitical in any way, choosing to openly comment on current affairs in a way that could have easily been perceived as narratively maladroit had it not had an undercurrent of seething anger – Lee is adopting a truly insurgent approach to storytelling here, weaving together a revolutionary story of war that takes utilizes a renegade perspective to create an unforgettable tapestry in which past and present are inextricably entwined. The film is a product of a director who is clearly always in control, showing a willingness to go further and be more provocative than many of his contemporaries. Da 5 Bloods isn’t simply a work of compelling cinema – its a declaration of war contained on celluloid, imploring the current generation to stand up for what they believe in, and fight the power. This approach results in a film that challenges many narrative traditions and doesn’t ever adhere to conventions – but then again, when has Spike Lee ever been someone who plays by the rules?