Review of BlacKkKlansman (2018) by Jordan W — 06 Oct 2018

For me, this is Spike Lee's best and most accessible movie in years. Based on the true story of how, in the 1970s, an African American cop managed to infiltrate and undermine the Ku Klux Klan. I must say, I'd not expected this movie to be quite so funny as it is.

There are some genuinely comic moments which had me and others in the audience chuckling out loud. The sheer ridiculousness of the situations makes for some wonderfully comic moments and Lee plays these for all they are worth.

The comedy is tempered by the unshrinking portrayal of the awful, racist attitudes that are portrayed. What struck me was the sheer ordinariness of the Klansmen who are mundane and unremarkable characters.

Lee intercuts the action with social commentary taken from movies, TV shows and, most shockingly at the end, footage of the Charlottesville incident where a white supremacist, James Fields, drove his car into a crowd of protesters, killing one and injuring over 30 others.

There's a very cool 70s period feel to the film, brilliantly realised with some great music and wry nods to the fashion and style of the period. A strong cast lead by John David Washington and Adam Driver makes this a thought provoking, and timely work warning about the evils of intolerance and prejudice that seem to be resurgent once more.