I wouldn't call myself a Spike Lee fan as I've only seen three of his films, one of which —Oldboy— I hated, but nonetheless I was very excited about BlacKkKlansman as it looked interesting and I was intrigued by the cast.
Based on the memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth, the film tells the story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), the first African American police officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department who in the 1970s successfully managed to infiltrate the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan with the help of his Jewish colleague, Detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), who he convinced to go undercover as a white supremacist.
This is one of those stories that sounds too crazy, too unreal to be true, so it was only a matter of time before someone turned into a movie. I'm glad it was Spike Lee because his storytelling is so compelling that you get sucked right into the story and it's the same with BlacKkKlansman. Despite the many liberties he took with it —according to the internet since I haven't read Stallworth's book, the romance never happened, the KKK bomb plot is fabricated, and Stallworth's colleague wasn't even Jewish—, the story is engaging and fun, and also has an important, powerful message to deliver.
Unfortunately, the message is constantly shoved down our throats, especially at the end when we are shown actual footage of 2017 Charlottesville —it does serve as a reminder that those hateful people aren't gone, that things haven't changed much in forty years, but it doesn't fit with the overall humorous tone of the film.
The characters would be another of BlacKkKlansman's problems. They are nothing but caricatures and as such they actions and behaviours are very predictable and they also are very forgettable. It's okay when it comes to the KKK members as one-dimensional characters are more than what they deserve, but characters like Stallworth, Zimmerman or even Patrice (Laura Harrier), the president of the Black Student Union Stallworth starts dating, aren't as fleshed out as they should have been. So much more could have been done with those characters it angers me.
Despite this, the cast does a great job. John David Washington has such a commanding presence and he is very believable as the clever and quirky black cop in a white world. Adam Driver is also excellent as Washington's Jewish colleague Flip and has a wonderful chemistry with Washington. It's Topher Grace that absolutely steals the show though as his portrayal of David Duke, the clan's leader, is both haunting and incredibly captivating.
Another positive aspect of BlacKkKlansman is the visuals. The cinematography by Chayse Irvin and the editing are very interesting and they help the movie achieve an authentic 1970s vibe. As for the soundtrack, it works very well with the looks.
Ultimately, BlacKkKlansman isn't a terrible film as the story is engaging, the cast outstand and Lee's screenplay finds a great balance of humour and drama, but the characters and the message that is constantly forced onto us left me with a bitter aftertaste as if a huge opportunity was wasted.
This is one of those stories that sounds too crazy, too unreal to be true, so it was only a matter of time before someone turned into a movie. I'm glad it was Spike Lee because his storytelling is so compelling that you get sucked right into the story and it's the same with BlacKkKlansman. Despite the many liberties he took with it —according to the internet since I haven't read Stallworth's book, the romance never happened, the KKK bomb plot is fabricated, and Stallworth's colleague wasn't even Jewish—, the story is engaging and fun, and also has an important, powerful message to deliver.
Unfortunately, the message is constantly shoved down our throats, especially at the end when we are shown actual footage of 2017 Charlottesville —it does serve as a reminder that those hateful people aren't gone, that things haven't changed much in forty years, but it doesn't fit with the overall humorous tone of the film.
The characters would be another of BlacKkKlansman's problems. They are nothing but caricatures and as such they actions and behaviours are very predictable and they also are very forgettable. It's okay when it comes to the KKK members as one-dimensional characters are more than what they deserve, but characters like Stallworth, Zimmerman or even Patrice (Laura Harrier), the president of the Black Student Union Stallworth starts dating, aren't as fleshed out as they should have been. So much more could have been done with those characters it angers me.
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| Focus Features |
Another positive aspect of BlacKkKlansman is the visuals. The cinematography by Chayse Irvin and the editing are very interesting and they help the movie achieve an authentic 1970s vibe. As for the soundtrack, it works very well with the looks.
Ultimately, BlacKkKlansman isn't a terrible film as the story is engaging, the cast outstand and Lee's screenplay finds a great balance of humour and drama, but the characters and the message that is constantly forced onto us left me with a bitter aftertaste as if a huge opportunity was wasted.
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