Trailer: Spike Lee’s war epic ‘Da 5 Bloods’
JONATHAN MAJORS as DAVID, ISIAH WHITLOCK JR. as MELVIN, NORM LEWIS as EDDIE, CLARKE PETERS as OTIS, DELROY LINDO as PAUL of DA 5 BLOODS (David Lee / Netflix)
Spike Lee, in his first joint since his Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman, joins an elite group of film directors – Alfonso Cuarón, Martin Scorsese and Noah Baumbach – to saddle up with Netflix for major projects. For Lee, it’s the multi-decade Da 5 Bloods; a story about a Black regiment of Vietnam veterans who return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen Squad Leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
Spike Lee was set to be the first Black president of the Cannes Film Festival from the African diaspora, which would have kicked off this week.
Da 5 Bloods stars Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Chadwick Boseman and Paul Walter Hauser. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes battle forces of Man and Nature — while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.
Although Da 5 Bloods was originally set for a theatrical release before streaming, the shutdown of movie theaters across the US and the world due to the coronavirus prevented that and the film will now premiere directly on Netflix. With the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and the Oscars all modifying their rules this year due to COVID-19, Da 5 Bloods will still be an Oscar contender this year.
Da 5 Bloods will premiere globally on Netflix June 12. Here is the trailer.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- ‘Club Kid’ Review: Jordan Firstman’s Gay Peter Pan Party Boy Tale Gets Raves Across the Board [A-] Cannes - May 18, 2026
- Claire Danes to Receive TV Performer Tribute from Gotham Film & Media Institute - May 15, 2026
- Director Watch Podcast Ep. 154 – ‘Insomnia’ (Christopher Nolan, 2002) with Special Guest Christina Jeurling Birro - May 15, 2026
‘Garance’ Review: Jeanne Herry’s Underwhelming Alcoholic Actress Vehicle Deters the Turbulently Brilliant Adèle Exarchopoulos [C] Cannes 
‘Clarissa’ Review: Sophie Okonedo Gets the Flowers Herself in Modern Day ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ [B+] Cannes 
‘Full Phil’ Review: Kristen Stewart is in Peak Form in Quentin Dupieux’s Manic Father-Daughter Comedy [C+] Cannes 
‘Club Kid’ Review: Jordan Firstman’s Gay Peter Pan Party Boy Tale Gets Raves Across the Board [A-] Cannes