‘Da 5 Bloods’ Trailer: Spike Lee Goes To Vietnam For New Heist Movie On Netflix

The Vietnam War arguably irrevocably broke the United States, ushered in the crooked era of Nixon and his Republican cronies, and ended the 1950s illusion of America as the good guy of the world. Innocence was lost and the rose was off the bloom. Worse, is the devastating toll such as this was compounded among soldiers, but especially Black ones. U.S. Armed Forces had officially been desegregated for at least 10 years, but Black servicemen were drafted more frequently—at least for some time—when compared to their white peers and often encountered racism from their fellow enlisted men and officers. “Da 5 Bloods”—Spike Lee’s first venture on Netflix—sheds integral light on the two wars these men found themselves fighting in with a movie that also has heist element to it, which sound like something out of “Three Kings.” ”Da 5 Bloods” is about Four African American veterans who return to Vietnam decades after the war to find their squad leader’s remains — and a stash of buried gold.

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The project is also Lee’s first since the timely and terrific “BlacKkKlansman,” and two collaborators on that movie are back on board for this one. One is co-writer Kevin Willmott, sharer of the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for “BlacKkKlansman” with Lee, Charlie Wachtel and David Rabinowitz. The other is Grammy-winning composer Terence Blanchard, an Academy Award nominee himself for scoring the film.

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Delroy Lindo (“Malcolm X” & “The Good Fight”), Norm Lewis (“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert”), Clarke Peters (“Treme” & “Harriet”) and Isiah Whitlock Jr. (“The Wire”) play four veterans of the conflict. Other members of the cast include Chadwick Boseman (“Black Panther”), Jonathan Majors (“The Last Black Man in San Francisco”) and Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewell” & “I, Tonya”).

Here’s the synopsis:

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From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a New Joint: the story of four African-American Vets — Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) — who return to Vietnam. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes, joined by Paul’s concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature — while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.

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“Da 5 Bloods” premieres on June 12 and while, yes, it’s his first Netflix film, Lee has a pre-existing relationship with the company having done his short-lived “She’s Gotta Have It” show on the streaming platform. Check out the trailer below and see a more complete account of the Vietnam War through this overlooked lens.