Debuting earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival where it received a six-minute standing ovation and took home the Grand Prix (second-most prestigious prize after the Palme d’Or), visionary director Spike Lee’s new joint BlacKkKlansman (pronounced Black Klansman) earns its status as critical darling by instantly becoming the most important film you will see all year.
Based upon Ron Stallworth’s autobiography Black Klansman and following the crazy, incredible true story the African-American detective lived through as he set out to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1970’s, Lee uses history and an exceptional break-out performance from lead actor John David Washington to supply audiences with a confronting yet hugely entertaining memoir- crime film you simply cannot afford to miss.
It’s the early nineteen-seventies and the Colorado Springs Police Department have just recruited their first-ever African-American detective; his name Ron Stallworth (Washington). Eager to make a name for himself in a society where racial discrimination is still ubiquitous, he fearlessly sets out on a dangerous mission to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.
Duping the head of the local chapter by impersonating an all-white-American racist over the phone, Stallworth successfully sets up a meeting with a gang of white supremacists under the pretence of recruitment and enlists the help of a colleague and experienced detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver). Working together as they portray the over-the-phone and in-person versions of a combined faux “Ron Stallworth” respectively, the two future American legends go deep undercover to take down the extremist hate group in what would later become an investigation of a lifetime.
Amix of rage, grief and humour painting a raw picture of humanity’s worst beliefs, Spike Lee’s impassionate depiction of an immoral United States is an angry film with a lot to say and one that commands you sit down and listen but also tremendously amusing. Utilising deliberate tonal shifts and the quintessential filmmaking style Lee is known for, helps examine race relations and discrimination in profound and existing ways. Co-writer as well as director, this is his best film in decades and perhaps the most personal. If nothing else, it is sure to spark conversation of the fact we still live in a world full of nauseating and unnecessary hate, of which a relevant social commentary here is well and truly on display.
Washington (who some may recognise from HBO’s television series Ballers) clearly having inherited his famous father Denzel’s acting ability, perfect as can be in his first leading role and Driver adding another impressive role to a résumé that already includes turns in Martin Scorsese’s Silence and Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, the two poster-stars are also joined by a solid supporting cast.
Featuring Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Laura Harrier and Straight Outta Compton star Corey Hawkins in key roles as important real-life individuals involved in the Black Power Movement, That 70’s Show alumni Topher Grace takes on the most challenging part of his career, portraying the infamous white supremacist, Holocaust denier, convicted felon and all-round piece of s*** David Duke, the former Grand Wizard of the KKK.
A compelling dive into a classified investigation that was kept secret for over twenty-seven years, expect this to be a major contender come awards season. Terrifically led by a star on the rise and set against the backdrop of the funky 1970’s, BlacKkKlansman tells how a black American police officer infiltrated the ranks of the KKK to become the head of one of their chapters without detection.
Responsible for uncovering Klan members active within the US Armed Forces and racist officers within his own precinct, Ron Stallworth took it upon himself to act out against violent racism after stumbling upon an ad in the paper seeking new members. A humble hero who risked his life to expose an evil organisation, this film serves him justice and is a film everybody who is able should make time to witness.
All the power to all the people, infiltrate hate.
