The Grand Prix winner

Rating: 7/10 (12 September 2018)

As a finn, I just have to begin this review from a supporting cast standpoint. The character of Felix Kendrickson, an aggressive KKK member, is played by my fellow countryman Jasper Pääkkönen. You certainly wouldn't want to bump into Felix in a dark alley. Pääkkönen has actually played a somewhat similar character in a finnish film called Leijonasydän (Heart of a Lion), a really well made 2013 film about neo-nazis.
But back to the BlacKkKlansman...Spike Lee's newest joint starts with images from Gone with the Wind and evolves into an important film about a touchy subject, hopefully this film will be another step forward in the battle against racism. The premise of the story, while being about a serious issue, is giggle worthy - the plan of an african-american police officer infiltrating Ku Klux Klan doesn't necessarily sound like the best of ideas -it's kind of a "lets wing it" type of deal. The movie is a part comedy but it is tonally a bit more serious than the what the trailers had me anticipating. I also felt that there were a couple of instances where the movie's history telling interfered the pacing and thrillingness of the actual story. BlacKkKlansman has laughs, thrills, importance, shock value and nice portrayal of the period, but for me the film didn't quite come together in the way I would've liked. Still, it's a good film and I'll be watching it again at some point for sure.
Rating: 7/10