Spike Lee’s power is on full display in his film BlacKkKlansman, a gut-punch comedy drama that uses the past to critique the present (and possibly future).
Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Crime, Comedy, Drama, Biographical
Run Time: 135′
World Premiere: Cannes Film Festival
US Release: August 10, 2018
UK Release: August 24, 2018
Where to watch: on digital & on demand
Spike Lee has never been one to play it safe. His films are often challenging and provoking, leaving little to the imagination as he tackles issues of race throughout American history. Many of Lee’s “joints” have become timeless classics, like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X. But there seems to be something especially timeless (and timely) about BlacKkKlansman (2018), based on the life of Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer who successfully infiltrated the local Ku Klux Klan. The film felt essential when it was released six years ago and feels even more so now in 2024.
This 2018 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner follows Stallworth (John David Washington, of Malcolm & Marie) as he tries to make a name as a detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. It’s the 1970s, when racial tensions seem to be boiling, even after the peak of the Civil Rights movement. Stallworth faces implicit and explicit racism from his fellow cops, as he attempts to expose a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. While he speaks to members of the extremist group over the phone, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver, of Ferrari) begins infiltrating their meetings, posing as Stallworth. The movie is in-your-face and provocative, while also finding the right times to inject some humor, a Lee speciality.
In order to fully strike his signature tone, Lee demands not only a difficult mix of heavy drama and unseemly comedy, but also great performances from his cast. Luckily, BlacKkKlansman features several. Washington perfectly channels a combination of seriousness and silliness that matches the film’s overall tone. Driver’s turn as Zimmerman also gives the actor the chance to explore his humorous side, especially in the awkward scenes with the Klan members as he tries not to blow his cover. Laura Harrier plays Patrice, an activist and Stallworth’s love interest. She adds a fiery presence and plays well both with and against Washington.
With a worthy plot and peak performances, Lee is able to have some fun behind the camera, showcasing savvy editing skills to complete his vision. His double frames make something potentially boring like phone conversations completely riveting, and he uses slow motion to great effect in some of the film’s more powerful moments, including the climactic bombing scene and a scene where Stallworth looks angrily upon shooting range targets made to look like stereotypical African-Americans. He knows when to speed things up and slow things down, leading to a roller coaster of emotions as the audience begins to sympathize with the moral characters while getting sick at the stomach towards the evil ones.
What makes BlacKkKlansman special, and a good reason for why it received such acclaim, is its ability to demonstrate historical parallels. Specifically, Lee uses his film to directly critique the rhetoric of former US President Donald Trump, comparing him and his movement to some of the immoral figures of the 1970s. With the portrayals of Kennebrew Beauregard (Alec Baldwin) and, more prominently, David Duke (Topher Grace), Lee draws a clear picture meant to evoke the 45th President, and some of the same language and rhetoric is used (America First). The film itself plays out in this and other parallels. A climactic scene bounces back-and-forth between a peaceful civil rights rally and a Klan initiation meeting. Lee clearly articulates his vision of good and evil, leaving little to the imagination.
While BlacKkKlansman occasionally stumbles into straightforward biographical territory, it often elevates those genre tropes into something truly special. It should stand as one of Lee’s signature achievements in the way it speaks to specific cultural moments, both in the past and the present. It knows when to have fun, and it knows when to punch its audience in the gut. The harrowing images of the 2017 Charlottesville riots that play at the film’s conclusion along with the infamous comments from Trump (“good people on both sides”) remind the audience that evil still exists, and that the right causes are still worth fighting for.
BlacKkKlansman is now available to watch on digital and on demand. Read our reviews of 25th Hour and Da 5 Bloods!
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