Critical Recommendation: BlacKkKlansman

Wherever you may stand on the battle lines of our modern culture war, there's something refreshing about watching an undeniably well-made movie that believes wholeheartedly in what it's saying. As something of a radical moderate, I don't subscribe to the Donald Trump and his followers are racist memo at all, and while I think of this view as one that has lost a significant amount of steam since 2018, I can't lie to you and say that Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman is bad, even if it couldn't resist taking some modern-day shots that haven't aged as well as one might hope in its closing moments. This movie is incredible, one of the best based on a true story movies I've seen to date, and one of the most complete cinematic treats I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Based on the unbelievable but entirely true story of a black police officer named Ron Stallworth infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in 1972, it's a hilarious and genuine comedy-drama that isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers or even strip the bird naked if it deems it necessary. No matter where you stand politically, I'd encourage you to watch BlacKkKlansman and think about it critically, rather than merely praising it or dismissing it depending on your predisposed preferences. And whatever your thoughts, have a good time with this movie. Lee allows you to laugh sometimes, even at absurd and even tragic events and ideas. So laugh.

Generally speaking, I believe that we, as a modern society, think of political polarization as a problem of the present. BlacKkKlansman unceremoniously blows the lid off of this perception. Do you remember our reaction as a public to the Vietnam War? This film is incendiary with the past in a way that still feels present and immediate. In terms of the building blocks of this movie, the cast that Lee and his crew put together is simply incredible. I won't lie to you, my introduction to John David Washington in Tenet was something of a letdown, but he feels right at home here in BlacKkKlansman. Adam Driver and Michael Buscemi are just as good as Flip and Jimmy, two white cops working with Washington's Ron to infiltrate the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan and even grow a personal, over-the-phone relationship with KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, who is portrayed marvelously by Topher Grace.

Moreover, BlacKkKlansman isn't just an incendiary, intelligent, well-acted movie. It's also a very funny one, too. Its humor is extremely self-aware, a brilliant stroke of satire that, even if familiar in our modern culture war, is executed with undeniable skill. The pacing of this movie is just as good, a trait that the police procedural lends itself to nicely. Ron's investigation remains interesting throughout, as it's clear at every turn that BlacKkKlansman is going somewhere explosive. I promise, it will keep your attention to the end because it's a movie made with its end in mind. Let it say what it wants to say, then think about what it said. Just know that it might be a little hard to stop thinking.

BlacKkKlansman is a critique of culture that has, in some ways, changed a lot since its 2018 release window, and in others, may never truly change at all. Forgive me for once again refusing to engage with a movie on the level of its themes, but what makes BlacKkKlansman truly impressive is its craft. It's a spectacularly paced, brilliantly acted, and bitingly funny satire that certainly takes its place among the best "based on a true story" movies I've ever seen. Reality is often just as strange or even stranger than fiction, and BlacKkKlansman is one of the stranger true stories I've heard. Luckily, it's a tall but true-to-life tale in the right hands. Spike Lee and his crew bring to hilarious life a story that could have otherwise been dead on arrival in the wrong ones.

BlacKkKlansman - 10/10

1 John 3:14-15