For Radio Raheem

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2018)

My Movietown companion Cole is a Spike Lee fanatic. Not only has he seen all the venerable director's major motion pictures, he's also seen his stand-up films, documentaries, and specials, rarely giving any of them less than a stellar review. Therefore, I usually defer to him when it comes to Lee joints. However, for whatever it's worth, coming from a Spike Lee noob like myself, BlacKkKlansman is a bonafide masterpiece that will remind anyone who needs it that Lee is a certified genius of kinetic and alarming filmmaking.
Telling the 70's story of a black cop who goes undercover to infiltrate the KKK, it seems to be a perfect fit for Lee's prolific 30-year career. It's a ridiculous story used to make a point about the black experience in America, bolstered by the fact that it all actually happened. The mixture of hyper-blaxploitation-style, insane reality and deft comedy begs comparisons to late-20th century classics like Goodfellas, not to mention the endless number of memorable scenes, bold performances, and strong language. Undercover cop lie detector scene? Tensely paced. Alec Baldwin racist-speech opening? Striking and uncomfortably funny. Black College Society speech? Movingly edited and uniquely beautiful.
It holds together (with shocking and appreciated entertainment value) to show the dangerously powerful influence of popular media on personal beliefs and the complex nature of systemic racism. Never one to hide his point, Lee draws straight, dark lines from this story to our modern political world, which will inevitably split attentive audiences down the middle; but regardless of individual leanings, there's no denying that BlacKkKlansman is a stressful, sobering and powerful true-life good-time.