Spike Lee’s Vietnam Film Is the Movie for Right Now

American film director Spike¹ Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" has just been released on the streaming service Netflix. It is a film about four African American Vietnam War veterans who return to Vietnam years later.

Lee says there was not enough money in his Netflix budget for costly² special effects. But critics say the film's extraordinary creativity and powerful sense of purpose can be seen as special effects, too.

As a filmmaker, Lee is known for having good timing³. That may be clearer than ever with the release of "Da 5 Bloods." It comes during a growing national movement demanding racial justice and an end to police brutality⁴.

"Da 5 Bloods" shows powerful images of the political and social events of the 1960s. The film begins with historical clips from the Vietnam War and shows the experience of African American soldiers in the war.

In one 1968 clip, activist⁵ Bobby Seale recalls how African Americans served in the Civil War and then World War II, with their freedom still not a reality. "And now here we go with the...Vietnam War and we still ain't getting nothing but racist⁶ police brutality..." Seale said.

Lee made a major change to the original "Da 5 Bloods" story, written by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo.

Lee and writer Kevin Willmott changed the Vietnam veterans to be African American. Lee wanted to make a Vietnam film that had not yet been made -- one in which African American soldiers were the main story, not just a side story.

The original story had the four veterans returning to Vietnam to find buried gold. In Lee's version, they are looking for gold as well. But they are also looking for something else: the body of their beloved army group leader, "Stormin' Norman." Actor Chadwick Boseman plays Stormin' Norman in Lee's film.

Film lovers will notice references to other films, such as Francis Ford⁷ Coppola's "Apocalypse Now." It is at a place named "Apocalypse Now" in Vietnam that the four Veterans have drinks one night before going into the jungle.

"Apocalypse Now" is a real bar in present-day Ho Chi Minh City.

At the bar, the men discuss their experiences as Vietnam War veterans. They talk about coming back from an unpopular war and being called "baby killers⁸" while also facing racial discrimination.

The angriest of the four veterans is Paul, played by actor Delroy Lindo. Paul is a strong supporter of American President Donald Trump⁹ and wears a red Make America Great Again hat. He has a troubled relationship with his son, David, played by Jonathan Majors. David appears in the film right before the jungle trip. He then joins the group on the trip.

There is also the happy Melvin, played by Isiah Whitlock Jr. And there is Otis, played by Clarke Peters, who has an important reunion with a former lover. And there is Eddie, played by New York theater star Norm Lewis. Eddie is the friendly owner of several car dealerships. But he is clearly hiding something behind his big smile.

With help from a mysterious man involved in international exports, the men take a riverboat to look for the buried gold. They soon find it. And they find a lot of other things, too. A lot goes wrong.

The men are not alone as the movie continues. For example, there is a group of men who look for land mines. There is a group of Vietnamese officers, a travel guide and a former lover. There is also intense jungle heat, poisonous snakes and dangerous unexploded mines.

The film goes between the present day and wartime flashbacks, without using different makeup¹⁰ on the actors. This is meant to make the audience understand exactly how the men themselves are experiencing the flashbacks.

By the end of "Da 5 Bloods," audiences are likely to feel that, undoubtedly¹¹, it is the right movie at the right time.

I'm Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

streaming - adj. playing continuously as data is sent to a computer over the Internet

brutality - n. cruel, harsh and usually violent treatment of another person

flashback - n. a part of a story or movie that describes or shows something that happened in the past

clip - n. a short section of a video, movie, or TV show

original - adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

reference - n. the action of mentioning or alluding¹² to something

jungle - n. a tropical forest where plants and trees grow very thickly

bar - n. a building or room where alcoholic¹³ drinks and sometimes food are served

snake - n. an animal that has a long, thin body and no arms or legs

makeup - n. materials (such as wigs or cosmetics) that are used to change the appearance of an actor

1 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

4 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

9 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

10 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

11 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

12 alluding   

提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He didn't mention your name but I was sure he was alluding to you. 他没提你的名字，但是我确信他是暗指你的。
• But in fact I was alluding to my physical deficiencies. 可我实在是为自己的容貌寒心。

13 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。