Da 5 Bloods (2020)

At Incluvie, we provide movie reviews and ratings through a lens of representation. When the world lost Chadwick Boseman on August 28, 2020, we all saw the enormous and powerful impact of representation in film. The announcement of his untimely death on Twitter was the most liked tweet as of August 2020 [Source]. Why? Because Boseman was not only a Black superhero leading a Black cast in one of the most successful films in history; but his successes paved the way for more, long-overdue diversity in Hollywood.

As the industry posts tributes to their friend and colleague, we can only remember him through the grace and integrity he left on screen. Boseman was necessary to the film industry; we needed him. Every systematically oppressed person needed him, and his strong, well-rounded characters. Boseman was more than an extremely talented actor — he was the embodiment of representation’s effect. The writers of Incluvie wanted to do our best to pay a small tribute to his image on screen. Let’s review some of his roles and his impact.

Spike Lee inserts his trademark style in Da 5 Bloods: a slideshow of images, monologues straight to camera, the double dolly shot, educating the audience on overlooked African-American history and referencing old Hollywood movies (The Treasure of Sierra Madre's “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges!” and famed movie actress Hedy Lamarr). This film empowers Black voices while also humanizing the enemy, which in this case is the Việt Cộng. The enemy becomes a political construct and the soldiers from both sides realize they’re all the same in the end; both experiencing fear, emotions, engaging in relationships, and thinking they are fighting the good fight. And in this humanization, we see the absurdity of war. Especially for the Black GI’s who were dying for a country that treats them as second-class citizens.

So what better way to echo the tragedy and absurdity of the Vietnam war than the powerful backdrop of Marvin Gaye songs?

I can count on my hand the movies that use music as well as this. The soundtrack complemented the themes of absurdity, brutality, and the never-ending cycle of war, but also brotherhood, love, and compassion. The haunting soundtrack of Marvin Gaye’s voice — himself a symbol of peace who met a tragic death — amplified the messages of the movie.