Vampires In Uncle Tom's Cabin: Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus Review
Black high society enjoys the taste of urban blood in this sloppy, confused, vampire wannabe film, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. Lee applies his cinematic usual: the Brooklyn backdrop, melodramatic close-ups, long monologues, and a strong musical soundtrack—but has none of the substance of his previous films. When is Lee going to make an official cinematic comeback? At a time where the world requires his socio-political storytelling edge, the point he's trying to make falls flat.
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus tells the story of Dr. Hess Green (Stephen Tyrone Williams). Hess is a wealthy anthropologist with a particular interest in collecting African artifacts. When he comes into the possession of an ancient, cursed, Ashanti dagger, it becomes the catalyst that sets this blood obsessed tale in motion. Hess has to get accustomed to the idea of acquiring blood by any means necessary so he chooses the poor areas of Brooklyn as his hunting ground. Ganji (played by Zaraah Abrahams) enters mid-way through the film and crosses paths with Hess. The two fall in love in an unrealistic way, and eventually, they end up married. Soon after they tie the knot, Hess begins to experience regret for his predatory ways and runs to the church to atone for his sins.
The themes of wealth, gentrification, and self-hate are evident, but not as fleshed out as it should be. You have a wealthy black man who has assimilated into white high society, suddenly develops an unhealthy addiction to blood, but goes to urban neighborhoods to get his fix. Is this is all an allegory for how people with power prey on poor and disenfranchised? Maybe Dr. Hess Green’s doesn't want to literally bit the hand that feeds him? He already draws a lot of attention to himself because he is wealthy and black, so why disrupt that by creating a trail of white victims? In this world, it seems no one will care who goes missing from the ghetto. It took some deep digging to get to the heart of what this film is really about. This is probably because a straightforward premise is buried underneath too many convoluted and unnecessary details.
Stephen Tyrone Williams as Dr. Hess Green delivers an awkward, monotone performance that doesn't attempt to connect with the audience and it's hard to watch. Lee is usually great with finding charismatic lead actors but that isn't the case here. It's possible that Lee wanted Williams to act in this fashion, but why? Is that Lee’s impression of black high society? However, co-star, Zaarah Abrahams is a ray of sunshine. Her character is energetic and delivers the best one-liners. In fact, her acting was so over the top at points I couldn’t take it seriously, but it was still enjoyable to watch.
Despite the movie’s many weaknesses, it is a beautiful looking film with a great soundtrack. The cinematography is very stylish, with lush, vibrant colors. He definitely knows how to make Brooklyn beautiful, or make it look worse than the ninth layer of hell. And the music is fitting for the subject matter. There is something about the way Spike Lee employs music and sound that no other director has been able to accomplish. There is power in the music he applies. Often times the music takes on a persona of its own.
Overall, it appears the name Spike Lee doesn’t draw crowds to theaters anymore, nor do his films pack the socio-political punch they use to. Has Spike Lee become irrelevant? With the mixed reviews of his latest film Chi-Raq, it's starting to look like it. Sweet Blood had the potential to be something great. As you watch the film, you're really rooting for it, but it disappoints on every level. Will Lee every return to splendor? Only time will tell.
