I Had No Idea

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2020)

Movies have always had the ability to change and open peoples minds. Something about actually seeing it digs deeper into a person. This film opened me up to a issue that I wasn't aware was still relevant. I thought racism was gone in the US. I'm not so naive now.
Director Spike Lee is known for his free, easy going spirit. Most actors have often said that he embraces the unknown, and likes to challenge movie goers, BlacKkKlansmen is no exception. No word, scene, or shot is out of place or unnecessary to the story. Often in films you will get maybe one or two really intense brilliant scenes that everyone talks about; however, every scene in this movie felt urgent and essential to the plot. I honestly can't pick it one or two scenes for you, because they were all that good. This is the kind of film that (sadly) will always be relevant no matter what time period it was made or set in.
Casting was absolutely perfect. Every character was embodied truly and vividly, which is often difficult when making a movie based on a true story. Actors John David Washington (Ron Stallworth), Adam Driver (Flip Zimmerman), and actress Damaris Lewis (Odetta) especially caught my attention. John embodies Ron's complex energy perfectly. Allowing the audience to really get inside of his head and see the movie through his eyes. Adam tackles the hard hitting themes of identity, and belief flawlessly. It couldn't have been easy to go to the places and feel what Flip goes through, but at the end of the day there was no man better for the Job. Actress Damaris Lewis absolutely blew me out of the water. She embodies a strong, brave, independent women who is going out and doing her part to change society. Her character is the type of strong figure every girl needs in their life, someone who shows that you need to go out in the world and help change the injustice in it yourself. Every performance was impeccable, these three in particular.
This movie hits on some hard topics, but it's defiantly a must see film no matter who you are. We need more pictures like this one, masterpieces that help highlight important issues and push the boundary's of film.