Anson Jackson

As a teenager and a beginning musician, I was totally inspired when I saw this for the first time. Obviously, the music is brilliant and by itself should rank 5 stars. Pete Townsend's masterpiece and one of the greatest musicals ever, in my opinion. Interestingly, my favorite performance from the soundtrack is Elton John's version of "Pinball Wizard". But there is real genius in the way the songs tie together and tell the story. As for the film, I've always been disappointed by the harsh criticism of it. Clearly it's not a great piece of filmmaking by any means, but that's beside the point. You're not supposed to take it seriously and I think a lot of the critics need to come off their high horses and accept it at face value. The script and the acting are there to serve the songs, not to be highbrow art. That said, I think it’s very entertaining, with a LOT of great cameo appearances from rock and roll royalty. I particularly enjoyed Tina Turner as the Acid Queen, Keith Moon's hilarious Uncle Ernie and Jack Nicholson as the sleazy psychiatrist. And I thought the main characters (Roger Daltrey, Oliver Reed and Ann Margaret) were all quite good actingwise. Ann Margaret never looked sexier IMO, and her roiling around on that pillow was a teenager fantasy that still excites me, lol! Overall, I really like the film and I've watched it many times over the years. If you like the Who, and you are nostalgic for the 70s rock scene, I don't see how you couldn't enjoy this movie, unless you're just a stick in the mud yourself.

In my opinion, Spike Lee has made an imperfect but incredibly profound film, one that speaks directly to the hearts of Black people like myself. For those in Lee's age bracket who clearly remember the Civil Rights movement and the impact of the Vietnam war on the Black community, the film's themes hit home hard like a crashing airplane. What is truly fascinating is the way the film juxtaposes the feelings of my generation with current times. Despite the advances for Black people in civil rights and economic development, it is sobering reality that we still have so far to go to achieve true equality. And the disillusionment of my generation is captured perfectly in Delroy Lindo's portrayal of Paul, an amazing bit of acting that should earn him an Oscar if there is any justice in Hollywood. As for the the film as a whole, I really enjoyed Lee's references to "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Apocalypse Now", and the way he incorporates those themes into the story is quite creative. As for flaws, there are certainly some points in the film where the story lines seem generic and forced. However, these are minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things. I suppose if you are a recent film school graduate or jaded film critic, these are justifiable reasons to nitpick. However, one thing about Lee's films is that they are almost always overly ambitious. Spike tries to tell many stories in one film through his own unique perspective. And this trait has often been reason to criticize Lee, but in "Da 5 Bloods ", I think it's a real asset. With all of the world's craziness right now, an uneven story with many moments of brilliance and passion seems perfect for the desperate times we live in. To me, Spike has done a great job of tying the civil rights concerns of the younger generation together with the feelings of unfinished business and despair felt by many in my generation. The nostalgia factor, amplified by clips of MLK, Muhammad Ali and the fantastic use of Marvin Gaye's music reinforces the narrative. Also I thought Lee did an excellent job of showing sympathy towards what the people of Vietnam went through. Highly recommend this film to everyone.