The new Spike Lee joint. This time starring Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, et al. Written by Spike, Danny Bilson, Paul de Meo, and Kevin Wilmott.
Seen on NETFLIX opening day
Non-spoiler thoughts
This is a tough movie to talk about. Not just because of what the world is going through and the importance of understanding the role and manipulation of the black man in recent American history (though that certainly doesn’t make it any easier). It’s tough because certain aspects of this film are so expertly achieved while other parts of the narrative are rather cliche and uninteresting.
The delving into race -what I imagine is the important part of the movie – is excellent. There are a ton of parts of the black experience that haven’t been addressed in movies and television, and Spike Lee brought out some areas I had never even started to consider. What does the young black soldier, who certainly experienced extreme racism while in the military, think about the Vietnamese 50 years after leaving Vietnam? As an ignorant white guy, my instinct would be that he’d be more angry at the white people who forced him into a war he didn’t care about and that he would – if anything – sympathize with the Vietnamese who also had their lives and world upended by the Vietnam War. But of course – of course – it’s not that simple. These young black soldiers were just as much in the war machine as their white peers. They were just as brainwashed to constantly associate the Viet Cong as the bad guy. Only because they have the capacity to empathize doesn’t mean they can easily get over the fact that the Viet Cong killed their friends. And Delroy Lindo does things with his character I’ve never seen before. Whenever they’re around a Vietnamese person, especially if a stranger, he has to mentally and physically keep his internal rage at bay. He wants to lash out but cognitively knows that he shouldn’t. His heart is fighting his mind. The war never ended for Lindo, it merely changed settings.
Where the movie loses me is once it gets deep into its Plot. While everything happening around the Plot is thought provoking, the actual storytelling of the old friends traveling is mostly uninspired. When the movie becomes an action film, my brain becomes numbed and stops caring about what this action is supposed to represent.
Let’s move to my…
Spoiler thoughts
Intellectually, I get and appreciate what all the dull action represents. This is the Vietnam War in miniature. The Americans have gone into the foreign jungle to further their own interests but their plans are foiled by the French, who have been there much longer serving their own unique purposes. And of course there are actual Vietnamese present putting their lives on the line, some to help the Americans, some only to help themselves. And as a result, all sides take casualties. These scenes are a mess just as the actual war was a mess. Some people sort of know what they are doing and others have no idea. Never used a gun before? Too bad, you’re using one now. It’s all about the war, it’s all about these characters. Unfortunately, this all is way more interesting to think about than it was to watch unfold on screen. When the movie gets away from the intricate race relations and has to concentrate on who is owed literal gold it stops feeling *important* and becomes temporarily another mediocre Netflix movie.
One last part of the story I struggle with is the flashbacks. This is another instance of “I know what you’re going for, however I don’t care for it.” The flashbacks all look terrible. By design. Only the Blood who never got to grow up is played by an age appropriate actor. The others are played by their older selves because these flashbacks represent these now old-men putting their current selves back into their own memories. And these old men don’t move like the young men they’re pretending to be. And it’s all filmed like cheesy 80s action movies. Because in their minds, they lived these heroic moments that the bad movies were inspired by. Rambo wasn’t real, they were real. And Spike Lee films them in the style of the bad movies the characters resent. Again, I get it, I just didn’t care for it. I prefer movies don’t look terrible by design.
I do like this movie, for the reasons I stressed at the top. It’s possible I would love it if I had a different background or if I knew more about the black experience in Vietnam. I’m sure that’s what fans of this movie will tell me. And they’re probably right. I’m just not sure that’s the case because the parts of the movie I love (and I really do love Lindo’s whole performance and his relationship to Vietnam) are the parts I have no experience with. It’s the action stuff and the treasure hunt that do nothing for me. And I somehow doubt that treasure hunting is a significant part of the black experience. But maybe there’s a hidden metaphor there that’s not written with me in mind. And that’s okay.
All in all, this is definitely a Spike Lee movie. I think you should check it out.
One good thing: In the minds of most Americans, Vietnam as a county exists perpetually as it was from 1955-1975. It was great seeing modern Vietnam and getting a glimpse of the country decades after The American War.
One bad thing: Serious movies referencing stuff their actors did earlier in their careers for a cheap laugh can burn in hell. The Isiah Whitlock, Jr. “Sheeeeeit” moment is one of the worst movie moments of the year.
Should you care? I think you know that answer. (Yes)
(Black Lives Matter)
71/100. A very worthwhile mixed bag.
Greg Watched That 