A forceful yet necessary film that shows how the past repeats itself

Rating: 8/10 (28 August 2018)

Taking a unique style on a timely subject, BlacKkKlansman is a film that shoots right for your face and doesn't let you beat around the bush. The film intros with Alec Baldwin creating a promotional video for the KKK. Whilst standing in front of a projector displaying videos across his body, it quickly cuts between many different takes with misspoken racist words Immediately establishing the parody that the movie was based upon.
The film follows an African-American police officer Ron Stallworth, played by John David Washington, who successfully infiltrates the KKK. With a very obvious problem of him not being KKK material, he enlisted the help of fellow white officer Flip Zimmerman, played by Adam Driver, who must act as him when meeting with the "organization's" members.
Director Spike Lee took a very in your face approach to the film, not cutting anything out, going into great detail, and at some points pushing the envelope as far as he could. With many scenes filled with racist rants from KKK members, there is no way this film could be watchable by non-racist people without a superb director at the helm. Lee was able to give you a great balance that brought you to the edge of your seat without you falling out. He breaks up these hard to watch scenes with well-timed humor, and an overarching aura of ridiculousness and unbelievability. Many times throughout the film, your caught thinking to yourself that there is no way they can be serious, that no sane person could actually think these things. But the more unbelievable fact is that people did and some still do.
John David Washington is a perfect fit for the role, he plays the very clever but quirky black cop in a white world to a tee. Giving a performance that is believable without hesitation. Paired with the up and down Adam Driver, playing a similar style character as from "Logan Lucky", always seems to find his way into these bizarre roles. He has a knack for embodying a slightly redneck character who doesn't give off a complete feeling of confidence. And it works. Each character is able to bounce off the next and not necessarily put in performances to remember, but performances that don't get in the way of the voice and message of the movie.
BlacKkKlansman does an incredible job of showing both sides of not just the KKK but also the Black Panthers. Maybe leaning towards one and not the other, but it gives a window into how these groups were organized and what they stood for. Juxtapositioning "White Power" with "Black Power," the movie leaves the audience with evaluating not just their own beliefs but where the state of the country is. Moreover, the entire movie you are thinking how ridiculous these people's thoughts are and how could anyone really believe this. Then the film ends showing footage from Charlottesville and reminding us that those people aren't gone. There are still many people today who think this is how it really should be.
This day and age, movies are coming out about black people, women, gay people, and the underclass that are beginning to show to the country that there is whole other sides of life that we aren't used to seeing in popular culture. Spike Lee definitely joined in to that message now, and it's a push that will begin to hopefully educated the masses on what this country truly looks like. Especially if movies are going to be this well made, there is not an end on the horizon.