This is Spike Lee at his most. The title refers to 5 black men who served together in Vietnam. All these years later, 4 of them return to bring home the remains of the 5th soldier. Even though things get expectedly complicated, the first hour rolls by with predictable encounters and much personal drama. In the flashbacks, it’s a bit jarring that Chadwick Boseman is playing the young 5th soldier, while there’s intentionally little attempt to make his much older costars look his age. Being that this is Lee, there are history lessons sprinkled thru the dialogue and several racially-tense encounters. Delroy Lindo is the lead and he’s chewing every piece of bamboo in the jungle. His performance is way over the top and his character (despite the PTSD) is basically obnoxious, which is bolstered by the fact that Lee has him wearing a MAGA hat (and Lee is an outspoken critic of “Agent Orange,” as he calls him). The cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel is sometimes sumptuous and they’ve created some memorable imagery. The mostly Marvin Gaye soundtrack works well, but Terence Blanchard’s expansive orchestral score seems totally out of place. Like much of Lee’s best work, this is at times powerful, exasperating and controversial…and right now, more relevant than ever. NOTE: If u sit thru the credits, there’s a shot of the entire crew . (Mostly in English with some subtitles in French and Vietnamese) 
(3 / 5)