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WarDrama

Da 5 Bloods

- A War Never Ends

Four African-American Vietnam veterans return to Vietnam. They are in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader and the promise of buried treasure. These heroes battle forces of humanity and nature while confronted by the lasting ravages of the immorality of the Vietnam War.

Release Date : 2020-06-12

Language :EnglishFinnishFrenchVietnamese

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : 40 Acres and a Mule FilmworksRahway Road Productions

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles : Da Five Bloods

Cast

Delroy Lindo

Character Name : Paul

Original Name : Delroy Lindo

Gender : Male

Jonathan Majors

Character Name : David

Original Name : Jonathan Majors

Gender : Male

Clarke Peters

Character Name : Otis

Original Name : Clarke Peters

Gender : Male

Norm Lewis

Character Name : Eddie

Original Name : Norm Lewis

Gender : Male

Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Character Name : Melvin

Original Name : Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Gender : Male

Mélanie Thierry

Character Name : Hedy Bouvier

Original Name : Mélanie Thierry

Gender : Female

Paul Walter Hauser

Character Name : Simon

Original Name : Paul Walter Hauser

Gender : Male

Jasper Pääkkönen

Character Name : Seppo Havelin

Original Name : Jasper Pääkkönen

Gender : Male

Johnny Nguyen

Character Name : Vinh Tran

Original Name : Johnny Nguyen

Gender : Male

Lê Y Lan

Character Name : Tiên Luu

Original Name : Lê Y Lan

Gender : Female

Nguyen Ngoc Lâm

Character Name : Quân

Original Name : Nguyen Ngoc Lâm

Gender : Male

Sandy Huong Pham

Character Name : Michon

Original Name : Sandy Huong Pham

Gender : Male

Jean Reno

Character Name : Desroche

Original Name : Jean Reno

Gender : Male

Chadwick Boseman

Character Name : Stormin' Norman

Original Name : Chadwick Boseman

Gender : Male

Veronica Ngo

Character Name : Hanoi Hannah

Original Name : Veronica Ngo

Gender : Female

Nguyen Anh Tuan

Character Name : Chavy

Original Name : Nguyen Anh Tuan

Gender : Male

Duc Luong

Character Name : Bao

Original Name : Duc Luong

Gender : Male

Quoc Tuan

Character Name : Tam

Original Name : Quoc Tuan

Gender : Male

Tran Minh Thuong

Character Name : Vietnamese Tracker

Original Name : Tran Minh Thuong

Gender : Male

Hoang Sang

Character Name : Nguyen

Original Name : Hoang Sang

Gender : Male

Thanh Van

Character Name : Huy

Original Name : Thanh Van

Gender : Male

Nguyen Bao Ngoc

Character Name : Thuy (Waitress)

Original Name : Nguyen Bao Ngoc

Gender : Male

Linh Huynh

Character Name : Kmue (Hotel Clerk)

Original Name : Linh Huynh

Gender : Male

Le Cuong

Character Name : Hoang (Beer Vendor)

Original Name : Le Cuong

Gender : Male

Nhu Thuc

Character Name : Chu (Chicken Seller)

Original Name : Nhu Thuc

Gender : Male

Hung Cuong

Character Name : Binh (Fruit Seller)

Original Name : Hung Cuong

Gender : Male

Thuy Hong

Character Name : Dung (Snake Seller)

Original Name : Thuy Hong

Gender : Male

Nhu Le

Character Name : Anh

Original Name : Nhu Le

Gender : Male

Ngoc Anh

Character Name : Nu

Original Name : Ngoc Anh

Gender : Male

Hawk Newsome

Character Name : Black Lives Matters Leader

Original Name : Hawk Newsome

Gender : Male

Adrienne J. Stowers

Character Name : Janet

Original Name : Adrienne J. Stowers

Gender : Male

Tirina Simons

Character Name : Kim

Original Name : Tirina Simons

Gender : Male

Kenda Roberts

Character Name : Cissy

Original Name : Kenda Roberts

Gender : Male

Pernell Edward

Character Name : Melvin, Jr.

Original Name : Pernell Edward

Gender : Male

Hanh Phuc

Character Name : Van

Original Name : Hanh Phuc

Gender : Male

Chu Xuan Ai

Character Name : Hoang (Viet Cong Vet)

Original Name : Chu Xuan Ai

Gender : Male

Jordan Morgan

Character Name : Dennis The Menace (Radio Man)

Original Name : Jordan Morgan

Gender : Male

Alex Winters

Character Name : Joe (Huey Pilot)

Original Name : Alex Winters

Gender : Male

Anton Patrynika

Character Name : Bernie (Huey Pilot)

Original Name : Anton Patrynika

Gender : Male

Casey Clark

Character Name : Vito (Gunner)

Original Name : Casey Clark

Gender : Male

Andrey Kasushkin

Character Name : Bobby Joe (Gunner)

Original Name : Andrey Kasushkin

Gender : Male

Suradet Dongthaisong

Character Name : Viet Cong Hero Sapper

Original Name : Suradet Dongthaisong

Gender : Male

Nhut Linh

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Nhut Linh

Gender : Male

Phuc Pham Hoang

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Phuc Pham Hoang

Gender : Male

Quoc Toan

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Quoc Toan

Gender : Male

Xuan Thanh

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Xuan Thanh

Gender : Male

Truc Linh

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Truc Linh

Gender : Male

Nguyen Kim Dung

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Nguyen Kim Dung

Gender : Male

Nguyen Vu Truc Nhu

Character Name : Viet Cong Sapper

Original Name : Nguyen Vu Truc Nhu

Gender : Male

Taweesak Baoseehah

Character Name : Tracker's Man #1

Original Name : Taweesak Baoseehah

Gender : Male

Surawan Satchukorn

Character Name : Tracker's Man #2

Original Name : Surawan Satchukorn

Gender : Male

Pichaiyut Jongjai

Character Name : Tracker's Man #3

Original Name : Pichaiyut Jongjai

Gender : Male

Chaiyos Chaiyosburana

Character Name : Desroche's Driver

Original Name : Chaiyos Chaiyosburana

Gender : Male

Laersak Phusomjai

Character Name : Tour Boat Pilot

Original Name : Laersak Phusomjai

Gender : Male

Amanda Nguyen

Character Name : Hanoi Radio Announcer (voice)

Original Name : Amanda Nguyen

Gender : Male

Devin Rumer

Character Name : Captain Hill (uncredited)

Original Name : Devin Rumer

Gender : Male

Rick Shuster

Character Name : Pilot (uncredited)

Original Name : Rick Shuster

Gender : Male

Alexander Winters

Character Name : Joe Huey Pilot (uncredited)

Original Name : Alexander Winters

Gender : Male

Mav Kang

Character Name : Dead Pilot (uncredited)

Original Name : Mav Kang

Gender : Male

Lyndon B. Johnson

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Lyndon B. Johnson

Gender : Male

Malcolm X

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Malcolm X

Gender : Male

Hồ Chí Minh

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Hồ Chí Minh

Gender : Male

Richard Nixon

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Richard Nixon

Gender : Male

Donald Trump

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Donald Trump

Gender : Male

Neil Armstrong

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Neil Armstrong

Gender : Male

Martin Luther King Jr.

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Martin Luther King Jr.

Gender : Male

Muhammad Ali

Character Name : Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Muhammad Ali

Gender : Male

Reviews

S

SierraKiloBravo

@SierraKiloBravo

2021-06-23

Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/Ahb78xE_xyc Hooked by the trailer, I keenly awaited the arrival of _Da 5 Bloods_ on Netflix. This is a new Spike Lee movie that follows four African-American veterans from the Vietnam War as they return to Vietnam decades later. Their reason for going back is twofold - they are in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader but also to recover a pile of gold they buried while in-country. I’ll start off with the things I enjoyed about this. I thought it was great to see Delroy Lindo front and centre of this movie. He’s a great actor and he is by far the stand out in this. In fact the best part of the whole movie belongs to him in a fantastic monologue delivered directly to the camera. It sears and makes you feel uncomfortable to watch. His performance in those three or four minutes was so good that it elicits a reaction from you. It reminded a lot of the devastating monologue Jean Claude van Damme gives in his criminally underrated movie _JCVD_. It’s fantastic stuff. The other thing I liked was that Lindo and crew were the same age through the whole film, be it in Vietnam during the war, or in the present day. There seems to be some confusion online about this, my take on it was that this was an artistic choice to show how memories of the war stayed with the guys. When they reminisced from the present day, the things that happened to them back during the war were still affecting them. It was an effective way to get this across. Also from an artistic point of view I thought the way the aspect ratio of the screen changed depending on whether it was present day or during war was great. It gave you a visual reminder of the change of tone and storyline. So those were some good things that really stood out to me. On the other side there were a number of things that I found quite distracting about this, things that took me out of the film. Like how within the first 10mins there is a dig at Donald Trump. One of the characters refers to him as “President Fake Bone Spurs” which was a funny joke in passing, but then we switch to some actual footage of Trump at a rally and the on screen graphic identifies him as President Fake Bone Spurs. There’s digs like this all the way through and it felt odd and shoehorned in for a movie about Vietnam. To the point where towards the end of the movie, the biggest a-hole in the movie literally puts on a Make America Great Again hat. Like, we get it bro, you don't like Trump, can we please get back to the treasure hunt now? At times the movie does a subtle job of speaking its message, but at other times it feels too heavy handed. Lee treats his audience like idiots by having a character go on to explain a point that he had subtly made just in case you didn't get it, and then at other times like with the MAGA hat, he just slaps you in the face like as if nuance is beyond you. I think this means that for some viewers, rather than getting them thinking and the dialogue being thought provoking, it will just entrench them deeper in their beliefs by getting defensive. I also felt that the movie was too long. It clocks in at just over two and a half hours and it drags in places. At one point I thought “man this has been going for ages and we’re not even in the jungle yet” and looked at the timer to see I was only around 45mins in and there was still nearly two hours to go. I kinda feel like it could have benefited from a couple more sessions in the editing suite. There was one thing I couldn’t work out - one of the 5 Bloods has a scene where he reconnects with a lady he had a relationship with during the war. But the thing is she is nowhere near old enough to have been in her 20s in the 1960s, and the daughter they had is also nowhere near old enough to have been born in the late 1960s. Was it an odd casting choice or was their underlying explanation for it? If anyone knows, let me know! So yeah, overall it was a bit of a odd experience. It has moments of good stuff, but for me, the down times were too many and too long. This would have been a much better movie if it had a shorter runtime, and less over-explaining of its political messaging.

R

r96sk

@r96sk

2021-06-23

I enjoyed watching this. 'Da 5 Bloods' is very good, it kept me watching with interest from beginning to end. The cinematography is tremendous, there are many great looking scenes in this; the whole look of the film is top notch. The run time could've perhaps been shorter, but most war films tend to go on for a while to be honest. I will say that I didn't enjoy the start and end as much I did the middle, but there's still enough in there. I would also agree that some of the real life imagery used is unnecessary. The cast are excellent. Delroy Lindo is, for me, the star of the 156 minutes. He gives an outstanding performance as Paul, one I won't be forgetting any time soon. It's always a pleasure to see Chadwick Boseman (Norman), while Clarke Peters (Otis), Norm Lewis (Eddie) and Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Melvin) are all likeable in their respective roles. I unquestionably, with zero doubt, like those four in the lead roles, but man the original cast list would've been absolutely incredible. Could you imagine Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Giancarlo Esposito and John David Washington in this?! Gutted it didn't happen, can't lie. Not a perfect film, but one I certainly felt entertained by.

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-08-28

Ok, so a team of old African American soldiers decide to return to Vietnam to find the body of their colleague who was killed in action - and to retrieve some $17m worth of gold bars. En route they have to face some personal demons; an old girlfriend and the locals who have their own plans... It's not dreadful, but it certainly could not be described as Spike Lee anywhere near his best. The gang do emanate some sense of comradeship and loyalty, but in such a gung-ho fashion as to render the whole thing little better than a run-of-the mill Nicolas Cage style shoot 'em up effort with a really rather episodic and inevitable structure and a storyline remarkably indifferent to the indigenous population. Two and half hours is far too long, to. Looks great, though but sorry, more miss than hit for me.