an engaging biographical story from director Spike Lee

Rating: Null/10 (31 March 2019)

Ron Stallworth is hired as the first black officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department during the early 1970s. Unhappy with his initial assignment but still determined to do his job, he's transferred to the intelligence division where he tries to pull off the daring task of infiltrating a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Despite how far-fetched it may seem, this is actually inspired by true events (though some obvious artistic liberties are taken) and naturally Lee uses this as a platform to inject some of his own political propaganda, but it's a fascinating story with fine performances, invigorating dialogue, and much more humor than you'd expect from a film with this type of subject matter. A solid all-around showing, with effective performances from Washington--yes, he's the son of Denzel--and Adam Driver. ***