Review of BlacKkKlansman (2018) by Jack W — 23 Aug 2018

A pretty solid film based on a true event that works well up until Spike Lee doesn't once again know how to end his movie. Gripe aside this movie has a solid message and has a well written story here about a young new detective named Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) who infiltrates the Colorado Springs Ku Klux Klan chapter.

With the help of a fellow detective named Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) they begin to infiltrate the organization by having Ron call on the phone and get them riled up believing Ron to be a white supremacist and then Flip goes in person posing as Ron to find out what's going on.

It even goes as far as Ron talking to the head of the Klan David Duke (Topher Grace). Soon enough Ron beings to question what exactly he can get accomplished here especially after he begins dating a young activist named Patrice (Laura Harrier) who doesn't believe in the police and questions Ron's own motives.

Overall, solid film! It has a mix of a great story, a fantastic message and also has some great scenes that are actually funny (in a dark humor kind of way). The only gripe like I said in the beginning here is that the movie ends literally like 5 times.

This is Spike Lee's best film since Inside Man (2006) and I feel like he just never ends his movies (the more recent ones) on the "right" moment. The film here (slight spoilers ahead) ends with a scene where Ron walks off, Ron comes back and leaves a message for David Duke.

End of movie right? Nope. Then we get a scene busting a bad cop. Then we get a break up scene, then it moves into a sort of homage to blaxploitation, then we get a cross burning which I felt should have been the end of the movie since its horrifically beautiful, but has a message about how things don't change.

Then we get live footage of the marches from last year which works very well, but just doesn't fit quite well with the tone of the film at the end (regardless of the message) it's effective, but I would have ended the movie with the case getting closed, the cross burning followed by the live footage (cut down a bit).

That's my two cents and obviously just my opinion. Overall, solid film that I really enjoyed and would recommend giving a look at!