A retired Green Beret has raised concerns regarding the portrayal of an explosion in Spike Lee’s acclaimed war film, Da 5 Bloods. Since the release of his debut feature, She’s Gotta Have It, in 1986, Spike Lee has built a formidable filmography recognized for its impactful storytelling. Among his notable works are the iconic films Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X, both of which received numerous Academy Award nominations.
Lee’s cinematic journey continued into the 2000s, with significant releases such as 25th Hour featuring Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the Denzel Washington-starring Inside Man. His 2018 film, BlacKkKlansman, marked a pivotal point in his career, earning him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Recently, Lee has entered into a multiyear partnership with Netflix.
Addressing Inaccuracies in *Da 5 Bloods*
Stars of the Netflix Movie
In the film, the narrative follows four Vietnam War veterans who embark on a journey back to Vietnam to locate their fallen squad leader and recover gold they had hidden during the war. The cast includes prominent actors such as Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, and Isiah Whitlock, Jr.
*Da 5 Bloods* achieved recognition, being nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. However, during a discussion with Insider, David Harris, a retired Green Beret and expert in explosives, critiques a particular explosion scene in the movie, highlighting its inaccuracies.
While the film is inspired by real-life experiences, Harris disputes the depiction of the explosion, which involves a type of land mine colloquially known as a “toe popper.”He points out that the mechanics of how these mines function are not accurately represented in the film. In his evaluation, he awards the scene a low score, though he does acknowledge that one aspect was portrayed correctly. Below are his remarks:
Director Spike Lee actually pulled this account from a real-life Vietnam veteran that claimed this happened, but the events are disputed. That’s not going to work in real life. The toe popper was designed as soon as pressure went on. Let’s throw that away. I’m going to give you a rope and expect you to tie it around yourself without shifting any weight in any direction. That’s probably unfeasible because you’re moving. So once you start moving, weight’s going to shift a little bit. It should go off. So the first guy that stepped on the mine, it blew him in half. That’s a big explosion. We would think, couldn’t have been a toe popper then because the second explosion, shouldn’t you get some of that? We didn’t pull you that far off. Had to be two different types of mines because it’s not enough. A toe popper wasn’t designed to blow a dude in half.
I would rate this a four [out of ten] because I don’t believe that you could be yanked off the toe popper because it wasn’t designed to go off when the weight was removed. The size of that explosion, yeah, that was the right size.
Reflections on Harris’ Comments
Strengths of *Da 5 Bloods*
Despite the criticisms regarding the accuracy of the explosion scene, this has not hindered the overall positive reception of *Da 5 Bloods*. Viewers and critics alike have praised the film as a novel exploration of the Vietnam War and its broader implications. While acknowledging certain imperfections, many reviews emphasize that Spike Lee’s masterful direction, the dynamic chemistry among the cast, and the film’s tackling of profound themes effectively compensate for minor discrepancies. Ultimately, the merits of the film far outweigh specific inaccuracies, including those related to the toe popper explosion.
Source: Insider
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