Smart, terrifying and brutally funny

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2018)

I've gotta be honest, with a trailer like that, "BlacKkKlansman" held little chance of disappointment; not with such a charismatic performance from John David Washington. I can't even think of a weakness in this cast. The minute you see Alec Baldwin as a right-wing firebrand, you know you're in for something special.
It all starts with the wild premise - a black police detective infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan - the mechanics of such an operation are massively entertaining, and the sheer audacity of it is a constant eye-brow raiser. There's unbridled evil lurking throughout this movie, but it comes in the form of the small-minded. Let's face it, these white supremacists are morons (led by an equally hapless Topher Grace as David Duke), and their cruel intentions are regularly undermined by their simple natures. But Spike Lee pulls no punches here. The statement he's out to make with this is as time-worn as it is aggressive: hate finds its way into the top levels of power. And he makes no bones about tying it directly to modern-day politics.
In the end, this is a delightful period piece with an impressive cast and more than its share of laughs; a wicked surprise all around.