Grade: A
I have never seen a film that is quite as relevant as Spike Lee’s ‘BlacKkKlansman’; based on a true story of how black police officer Ron Stallworth managed to infiltrate the upcoming Ku Klux Klan with the help of a surrogate white officer filling in his shoes. The story is supposedly said to have been “outrageous”, albeit “incredible”; there is no other time for a movie like this to be made, or even seen. Very few may call this propaganda, when in reality, it is a wake-up call to the world dealing with the uprising of white supremacy and the Trump presidency; a thought-provoking commentary on racial tensions if ever there was one!
A movie like ‘BlacKkKlansman’ was made for Spike Lee, who tackles the subject quite well with films like ‘Do the Right Thing’, ‘Jungle Fever’, and most recently ‘Chi-Raq’, though he also balances witty comedy and devastating tragedy as a way to capture the audience’s attention. With every moment in ‘BlacKkKlansman’, Lee has you in his grasp all the way to the very end. When Lee makes his presence known with just a touch of his hand, the audience is listening, and will manage to think about what he is trying to say after the movie is over. ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is a movie that deserves to be taught in film schools and shown in every theater. No one should go without seeing this!
I rarely recommend biopics because, despite telling good stories and showcasing spot-on performances, they manage to be quite dull (with the exception of ‘The Social Network’ and ‘The Imitation Game’), yet ‘BlacKkKlansman’ seems to hit all the right notes in terms of cinematography, score, story, and performances. John David Washington (Also known as the son of Denzel Washington) is a revelation as Stallworth, who manages to achieve the right tone as he makes calls to the KKK, especially the Grand Wizard himself David Duke (Topher Grace), while posing as a white supremacist. While Adam Driver plays Stallworth’s Jewish coworker Flip Zimmerman, who agrees to pose as Stallworth when coming face-to-face with the members of the KKK. What follows is an entertaining, edge-of-your seat journey that will be remembered come Oscar season!
Jon Spencer Reviews 