Interesting New Spike Lee Joint

Rating: 7/10 (9 August 2018)

Spike Lee has returned with the thoughtful and intensely relevant "BlacKkKlansman," a drama about an African-American police officer in Colorado Springs attempting to infiltrate a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. The film uses a wide variety of common motifs in Spike Lee's films that enhance the story and the viewing experience considerably. Such motifs include deeply topical social commentary and analysis on the nature of racism and hatred, clever homages to other films of the time period (especially Blaxploitation films,) and a variety of visual tricks to help direct the viewer's attention to what is most important in the scene. The story moves along quickly and thoroughly, and its use of characterization is generally well-planned. Ron Stallworth is a charismatic and generally well-developed lead character, and most of the film's major supporting characters all serve unique purposes akin to the plot. The only possible weak link in the cast is Topher Grace as David Duke. While he does not give a bad performance, his portrayal of the infamous KKK leader can sometimes feel rather tepid at times.
Some might say that the film could have been enhanced by generally not reducing its depiction of KKK members to primarily cartoon stereotypes, but I would argue that this depiction actually helps Lee's greater point about the true nature of the Klan. Lee is trying to portray that their cataclysmic ignorance and buffoonishness breeds their insidious racism. The film's script includes a lot of current political commentary, which generally feels well-placed but can sometimes feel too on-the-nose or predictable. The film's story is engaging and entertaining, but does contain some cliches and relatively formulaic elements. Deeply disturbing real-world images and materials are effectively used by Lee to help synthesize the film's structure. The film's tonal shifts between comedy and dark drama do not feel poorly planned at all, although some could say they are a bit jarring. While it isn't Spike Lee's best, this is still a solid and highly thought-provoking film that should definitely please Lee's fans. Recommended. 7/10