Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Blu-ray Movie Review

Both sweet and sour.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 11, 2015

Recent critical slumps notwithstanding and claims that he's more famous for his orange-clad court side appearances than his behind-the-camera work being more than a bit nonsensical, Director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X) returns to the camera for the Kickstarter-funded Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, a small independent picture that's a modern take on the 1973 cult classic Ganja and Hess, directed by Bill Gunn. Yes, even legendary Hollywood directors with Lee's pedigree aren't immune from the business side of Tinseltown, a side where artistic merit often takes a backseat to sales projections, even with a movie promising a modest budget and a built-in fan base under the director's wide umbrella and large sphere of influence promising to offset any potential financial strains. But perhaps Lee's Da Sweet Blood of Jesus proved just a little too obscure even for a filmmaker with his credentials, too far removed from commercial viability and too close to the pocket-protector accountant's least favorite phrase: "pet project film." Indeed, the film is more suited for the art house than it is the multiplex, which is certainly no knock on the movie, though after watching it's easy to see why it couldn't find traditional funding and, perhaps more damning, why it couldn't find broader appeal with critics. The movie presents a blend of effortless art and impenetrable themes, resulting in a movie that's beautiful to watch but difficult to grasp, a film that's outwardly mesmerizing and inwardly perplexing, a film that takes viewers on a pleasurable journey to nowhere of any obvious consequence, a shame considering how much it gets right along the way.

Transformed.

Dr. Hess Greene (Stephen Tyrone Williams) is an anthropologist at the Museum of the Republic of Brooklyn. He comes into possession of an ancient Ashanti artifact, a ritualistic dagger that predates Egyptian civilization and reinforces various ideas as to the tribe's advanced understanding of medicine as well the people's downfall, their "passion" for blood. One day, Greene is stabbed with the artifact by a troubled colleague named Hightower (Elvis Nolasco) who commits suicide in the aftermath. But Greene isn't killed. He awakens to find his wound healed, but he hasn't otherwise gotten off so lucky. He's developed an unquenchable thirst for blood, a thirst he satisfies with stolen bags from the blood bank but gradually turns to more drastic measures to get his fix. He eventually meets the beautiful Ganja Hightower (Zaraah Abrahams) who has arrived at his Martha's Vineyard estate in search of her husband. She takes the news of his death better than can be expected and begins a relationship with Greene that will shape their destinies in ways neither could have previously imagined.

Lee's passion project isn't without merit. The movie is intoxicatingly rhythmic and graceful in its easy unfolding. There's an often hypnotic quality to it that draws the audience in as it builds a deep sense of anticipation, an anticipation for what the movie has to say, what's in store for the characters, what Lee will present as the greater purpose within. But the path paved with gold leads to nowhere special. Though Da Sweet Blood of Jesus has a bit to say -- overtly and covertly -- about the modern social, economic, political, and religious landscapes, such insights ring a bit hollow, never feeling absolutely critical to the greater movie and given far too little dramatic significance, at least significance that's easily identified, within the movie's broader arc. The film plays with a constant state of anticipation, a slow-burn hype, a very real feeling that its beautiful façade masks something wonderful to be discovered at the end of the unravel. But the movie's emptiness emerges as it gracefully meanders through its two-hour runtime, yielding the entrancing imagery and cinematic workmanship as well as interesting plot and character developments that keep the audience engaged but ultimately yield little payoff beyond the moment. Even considering the quality of the journey, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus ultimately disappoints by way of the absence of a more readily identifiable purpose and its offering of a fascinatingly deep character study that sputters the closer it gets to the end.

On the plus side, the film enjoys several intoxicating performances, even as the actors seem to grow into the parts; Stephen Tyrone Williams seems uncertain and stilted early on, delivering lines rather than speaking them, but he gains a noticeable confidence with his transformation that allows him to open up the part to uncanny believability, portraying the suave, sophisticated, and oftentimes contemplative character with more than efficiency, finding a deeper voice beyond the spoken word that, even with the broader dramatic shortcomings, presents audiences with a wonderfully complex individual struggling with his realities -- the past, present and future -- with every action and reaction. Both Williams and Director Spike Lee distance the movie from classic "vampire" tropes, allowing a greater emphasis to be placed on characterization rather than some necessary adherence to tired ideas and expectations that would only interfere with the greater details within the movie. At one point, the bloodlust is described as an "addiction" -- as in food or drug addiction -- rather than a necessity, placing Greene's tale in parallel with the brief but critical early movie discussion about the ancient Ashanti culture that's gradually rekindled in modern times and on an intimate scale. Lee demonstrates a mastery of the organic and evolving nature of his characters; it's a shame that the movie never quite comes together considering the arsenal of excellence evident in so many places and in so many ways throughout the course of the movie.

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus arrives on Blu-ray from Anchor Bay with a stunning 1080p transfer. The digital photography leaves the movie looking flat and mildly glossy, but not at the expense of precision colors and details. The palette yields a striking array of bold yet natural colors, including pink dresses, a red roadster, purple pastoral garb, lush natural greens, and Knicks blue and orange seen at film's start. There's never an instance where colors trend downward outside lighting-influenced moments. Black levels do fluctuate a bit, however, with a few darker shots appearing a touch washed out and accompanied by intermittent noise. Flesh tones, however, take on a beautifully natural shading with every character. Details are consistently striking and clear. The 1080p image allows brick and concrete façades to stand out with intricate attention to detail. Various city accents are complex and lifelike, and even as the action shifts to the cleaner, more elegant lines of Greene's Martha's Vineyard 40-acre estate and the natural details around it, there's no loss in terms of striking textures and tangible details. Banding, aliasing, blocking, and other eyesores are not to be seen. A couple of brief flirtations with poor black levels and noise represent the only marks against an otherwise gorgeous presentation.

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus features a fantastic Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation begins unassumingly, with front-heavy music that's not particularly engaging from a technical wizardry perspective. However, as the film progresses music becomes a signature element and a terrific feature of the track, involving full surrounds, detailed notes throughout the range, and a healthy and potent low end. Atmospherics are regular, unobtrusive but welcome in every scene as everything form light insect sounds to church congregation chatter brings a lifelike sense of space and life to the proceedings. The track is absent many heavy effects, but little things like a popping champagne bottle are splendidly realistic. The film is largely a quiet, contemplative character film, however, and heavily reliant on simple dialogue. The spoken word is delivered clearly and evenly from the center in every instance, no matter the speaker or the environment in which they are situated. All in all, this is a top-end track from Anchor Bay.

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Da Sweet Blood of Jesus contains no supplemental content.

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Certainly Director Spike Lee had greater plans for Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, a movie that's overwhelmingly appetizing but falls short of expectations, both for a Spike Lee film (or "joint") and for the promise the movie shows through much of its runtime. It runs out of gas in the third act, almost like it forgot to make its deeper themes more open and accessible. There's no doubt plenty of subtext that multiple viewings may more clearly reveal, but this is not a one-watch film if one's ultimate goal is to unravel all that Lee has so tightly but elegantly, complexly and sometimes almost inaccessibly, wound around it. Fortunately, the movie is easy on the eyes and ears and, often, on the cinema soul, boasting impeccable craftsmanship and fine performances that give it a solid outer shell. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray is equally strong, boasting near perfect video and audio. Sadly, the disc is featureless; a Lee commentary would have been invaluable. Cautiously recommended to patient and open-minded audiences.