Nothing about "Da 5 Bloods" works. Nothing. In fact, it's so arrogant in it's premise and execution that it almost pulls off a sort of B-Movie charm. Not a complement. Here's a bunch of great actors with plenty of scenery to chew up and a script that assumes a certain weight that it can't quite deliver. What's left is a laughably self-serious movie that looks like garbage, is filled with leaden emotions, and betrays a couple of veterans actors slumming for the privilege of working with the ultimate hot/cold writer-director.

When Lee is on, he's one of the best filmmakers of the last fifty years - full of substance and style. But when he's off, you get overheated tripe like "Bloods" - a film that manages to be hilarious when it's supposed to be thinking, and deadly somber when we're supposed to be winking. Memorable only as a great misfire for everyone involved.

Seems Spike Lee has caught the George Lucas disease regarding pruning back an out-of-control bush of a movie. You have a couple of main themes in this very preachy but often action-packed movie about Vietnam War Vets trying to reconcile their pasts and improve their lots in life. But there's like three-movies-in-one here and Spike Lee seems to have fired the editor who should have removed 30 minutes of drag from this often dramatic effort. Interesting but overly long, sentimental in bizarre places, preachy nearly beyond redemption.

On Metacritic it's labeled with "must-see" with currently 8,2 stars by 47 critics total.

Well, what a let down.

The importance of the topic is undeniable. There are some good ideas, legendary, beautiful music by Marvin Gaye and a great cast creating a few touching and funny moments.

Nonetheless the story feels too chaotic to be called outstanding! What's going on?! There are some cringe worthy, unnatural conversations, some Tarantino'ish bloodbaths and an Indiana Jones-like gold hunt, not in a good way. Also there is plenty of more or less known historical footage pressed in often too hasty, so it is necessary to pause every now and then to be at least able to read the text. I find this technique of film making for a fictional story quite lazy, especially if it's used so excessively often. (Other than with documentaries) It's too easy to make a film catchy by using real, uncensored footage of brutal events like executions.

At least I watched the whole movie, but not at once. Needed a break in-between.

In general I love the older Spike Lee's. After a long time and the high praise of the media I just expected a more genuine, profound, realistic, if too still artistic approach to this important topic.

Concluding the only clever and genuine thing were the scenes, which looked like flashbacks, just with the same old characters playing themselves at war back then...first it felt strange, but I interpreted it as dream sequences caused by PTSD. If it is so, I don't know.