BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Review

135min

Genre:       Fact-based, Comedy, Crime, Drama

Director:    Spike Lee

Cast:         John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace…more

Writers:     Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Spike Lee… and more

-Synopsis-

Spike Lee returns with a timely biographical period tale based on the life of Ron Stallworth—the first African-American officer in the Colorado Springs PD, who conducted an investigation into local Ku Klux Klan activity and managed to infiltrate David Duke’s KKK, becoming a fully-fledged member.

When it comes to race in America, there’s undoubtedly no louder cinematic voice than that of Spike Lee, having tackled the subject through comedic drama in ‘Do the Right Thing’, romance in ‘Jungle Fever’, and biography in ‘Malcolm X’. Now the Brooklyn-made Georgia auteur combines his experiences and mines an extraordinary true story to give us his latest meditation on being black in America—an urgent and dynamic 1970s detective period piece which proves eerily timely . . . and arguably his best work in well over a decade.

John David Washington stars as Colorado police rookie Ron Stallworth, trying to carve a path as the first black officer in the local department during the late 70s by infiltrating the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, posing as a perspective new member in voice, while his partner ‘Flip Zimmerman’ (Adam Driver) doubles for him in person. As Stallworth tries to balance a burgeoning relationship with local activist ‘Patrice’ (Laura Harrier) with delving deeper into the rabbit hole of the KKK with Zimmerman, things begin to escalate as he rises in the organisation and gets the consideration of their ‘Grand Wizard’ David Duke (Topher Grace), not to mention the unwanted attentions of local Klan member ‘Felix’ (Jasper Pääkkönen)—as they head towards potential tragedy, which rings through time.

Never one to shy away from racism and its societal tentacles, Lee confronts it here head on, beginning with Stallworth’s experiences as the first black cop in Colorado Springs but then going wider into America’s dark past, and indeed her present—so you can expect plenty of confronting language, ideology, and the liberal use of the ‘N-word’ . . . but then what else would you expect from a film about ‘The Klan’.

Yet ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is no dour drama which takes itself too seriously, and although it’s miles away from a certain classic Dave Chappelle skit you might confuse it with, Lee infuses so much earthy and often playful character humour to break up the tension that it just about qualifies the film as a comedy too. When you add the wonderful 70s style, music, and general blaxploitation joie-de-vivre which the director imports from his youth, the film boasts a vibrancy which somehow counterbalances its classic 70s detective drama vibe, which is perfectly encapsulated by the score from regular Spike Lee collaborator Terence Blanchard.

All the performances on show are on point, led by John David Washington as the titular black Klansman himself, displaying a familiar voice, cadence and screen authority inherited from his legendary dad . . . although he has a long way to go to live up to the Denzel legacy. He’s meanwhile supported by an array of solid performers, including Topher Grace nailing the non-threatening acceptable face of white supremacy—but for us it’s Jasper Pääkkönen as the paranoid Klansman and most overt antagonist who often steals the scene, with the Finnish actor proving utterly convincing as a grade A, genuine angry American bigot.

‘BlacKkKlansman’ is by no means a flawless picture or an instant classic though, slightly let down by an overlong runtime and a narrative which drags slightly and isn’t as tight as it could be, and occasionally missing the mark when it comes to the balance of humour with sobering drama—not to mention occasionally playing fast and loose with the facts . . . as is so often the case with films based on true stories. But Lee’s nostalgic yet urgent, historical yet timely social concoction ultimately hits the spot where it matters, proving not only confronting and eye-opening, but most importantly entertaining too.

What really gives the film power though is how effortlessly socially significant it proves to be, with Lee, his co-writers and producers (including Jordan Peele) not having to stretch much to connect America’s early 20th century legacy with the era in which the film is set, and the country today under its present administration. The film draws a narrative a thread through history by exposing the familiar, lazy and timeless instinct to scapegoat and hark back to ‘better days’, which always seems to rear its ugly head (and full torso) when times get tough.

And the film gives the audience the space to come to the uncomfortable realisation that what was once a fringe movement and ideal, is now increasingly part of the mainstream.

Perhaps the most depressing thing about ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is the realisation that it will have little to no social impact on the country it depicts. Ultimately it’s all preaching to the converted, serving as an artistic vent of frustration for those willing and anxious to accept its message, and as pure provocation to those who aren’t—all in a country so divided and openly antagonistic that lines in the sand have become trenches . . . while begging the timeless question, where do we go from here?

The Bottom Line…

Nostalgic yet urgent, historical yet timely and endlessly socially significant, Spike Lee’s racially charged comedy-drama concoction may not have an impact beyond those eager to absorb its message, but it serves as a vibrant warning story and stylish period eye-opener for this and any other generation, while proving an entertaining and unexpectedly funny detective tale to boot.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Detroit (2017)

With tensions running high between the people and the authorities of Detroit in 1967, a police raid sparks an all-out uprising and borderline race riot as the disparate citizens of the city endure five days of madness, while the patrons at a local motel struggle for survival in director Kathryn Bigelow’s biographical drama snapshot of the long hot summer of ’67.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring John Boyega, Algee Smith and Will Poulter among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.