Spike Lee has been waking up audiences for decades about race relations in America. His latest work ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is a stranger-than-fiction tale about a black police detective that infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan. Lee has always been a provocative filmmaker but this police procedural film displays the director at the top of his craft. He uses restraint, humor and outrage in a structured narrative to slam the white supremacy ideology. It’s an intelligent mainstream film that packs an explosive message. No matter what your race or religious affiliation happens to be, ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is an essential film to watch this award season.
Right off the bat, Lee shows us Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) interviewing for a job as a cop at the Colorado Springs Police Department. The questions they ask him try to taunt him due to the fact that he will be the first African American police officer ever hired by the department. As the city councilman tells him, he will be the Jackie Robinson of the police force. As a rookie cop, he has to pay his dues in the records department. He craves for more action when Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke) assigns him to an undercover gig. His assignment is to attend a speech by the activist and former Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael (Corey Hawkins) who now goes by the African name Kwame Ture.
At the rally, he meets Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier) who leads the Colorado State University’s Black Student Union. They begin to date and have passionate discussions about black liberation and Blaxplotation films like ‘Shaft’ and ‘Superfly.’ Ron keeps it a secret to Patrice that he is a cop or a “pig” as she calls them. One day, reading the classified ads in the newspaper, he sees a recruitment ad for the Ku Klux Klan. Ron calls the number and has a conversation with the Klan’s local chapter president Walter Breachway (Ryan Eggold). The phone call is comical as Ron declares his hatred for Black people. When he is invited to join the organization, he recruits Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to go undercover and gain their trust. As a non-practicing Jew, Flip encounters the hatred they feel not only for Blacks but Jews as well.
Lee masterfully shows us how the KKK is run by Middle America. This is emphasized by the character Connie Kendrickson (Ashlie Atkinson), the wife of a KKK member and a Midwest homemaker. She plays a pivotal role in the third act. It drives the message perfectly that the people hiding behind the hoods are our smiling next-door neighbors. Ron also begins phone conversations with David Duke (Topher Grace), the national leader of the KKK. There is a powerful scene where Duke is invited to a local initiation event and the Klansmen are seen eating popcorn and cheering while watching ‘Birth of a Nation.’ It is pointed out that this racist film gave new life to the KKK.
Lee has garnered both a best picture and best director Academy Award nomination for ‘BlacKkKlansman.’ This is easily one of the best films of the year and it could be Lee’s time to take home an Oscar. It is not only an entertaining film but one that cuts racial hatred with a knife. This film really shows off why Lee is one of the most important filmmakers of his generation. The lead performance by Washington (Denzel’s son!) is equally impressive. He nails the essence of his character perfectly. Go see ‘BlacKkKLansman’ now that it is in limited re-release.
