Deep, smart, powerful, funny and emotionally investing, BlacKkKlansman is a triumph

Rating: 8/10 (6 September 2018)

Movies about the darkest parts of history are difficult to pull off. In the era of Trump, Hollywood has started to focus on race and politics more than ever, with the likes of Get Out, The Purge, The Death of Stalin, Detroit and so on. BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee's latest 'joint' (his stylised possessory credit), explores messages, social commentary, themes and ideas as deep as possible. Not a second is wasted on what it's trying to say, while its engrossing storyline is told with sweeping energy, creative freedom and emotion. I haven't seen race and racism displayed so effectively in cinema for a very long time.
The movie centres around the true story on the racist troubles of Ku Klux Klan during the 1970's. The police service of Coronado Springs attempts to take them down with the help of a young African-American named Ron Stallworth, the first in the department.
Punctured by a smart screenplay by David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Charlie Wachtel and Lee, Lee's approach to the event clearly shows his vision wasn't interfered by an uncompromising bankable studio. Cinematographer Chayse Irvin wisely chose to shoot on 35mm and 16mm film, creating a serious old-school 70's vibe where at times characters are slightly out of focus and the sunlight is overexposed due to the sensitivity of the film stock. Wes Anderson-like techniques are frequently present here, with closeups of images that fill the screen, quick pans, dolly shots that go from character to character (especially in one scene) and a few beautiful dreamlike shots that unintentionally pay homage to Bohemian Rhapsody. This is what sets the film apart from others, adding a scoop of creative juice within the storytelling.
John David Washington's first acting role, son of Denzil, is a knockout. He really digs deep into the psychology of Stallworth and nails it onscreen. In his big break from playing Kylo Ren between 2017's The Last Jedi and Episode IX in 2019, Adam Driver puts on another great performance as Flip Zimmerman, with his laid back presence lighting up every scene he's in. Topher Grace's career has officially been revived with this movie after going out of the spotlight since Spider-Man 3. He somehow fits into the role of David Duke with his talent to be serious and ends up being taken as comedic.
There are a few fizzles along the way. Lee's ability to occasionally break the 180-degree rule for effect and use multiple shots on a single action can come across as jarring. Sometimes Barry Alexander Brown's editing from scene-to-scene are blink-and-you'll-miss-it transitions, jumping to the next stage way too fast.
Besides these issues, the whole thing flows pretty well. I don't think we'll seeing anything as satisfying as this in a very long time. One of the best films of 2018.