An important film which also entertains

Rating: 9/10 (31 August 2018)

When I heard about the bizarre story of a black American cop who apparently infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in Colombo, Ohio, I assumed it would be tongue-in-cheek, and possibly 'true' in the same sense as the Coen bros' 'Fargo'. I was taken with the mad Afro hairdos depicted in the trailer. When I heard it was a Spike Lee film, I thought it had a chance of being very good, and happily I wasn't disappointed. For me, BlackkKlansman is a return to top form for Mr Lee.
While it is a very entertaining film, it packs a real punch to the guts at the same time. It feels like a blast from the past with respect to the openly institutional racist attitudes, but sadly by the end we're all reminded that it never really went away, and the white supremacists are just as misguided and dangerous now as they were in the '70's.
John David Washington (son of Denzel) was a revelation. I was intrigued as to why such a talented actor took so long to emerge into the limelight, then I discovered he had a career in NFL first. A talented man, then, just like his father. He shows every sign of successfully emerging from Denzel's shadow and having a blistering acting career of his own. He really owns the role of Ron Stallforth.
Adam Driver was also excellent as Ron Stallworth's colleague and accomplice in face-to-face meetings with Ku Klux Klan members.
I don't know how true to Ron Stallworth's 'memoirs' BlackkKlansman is, but I imagine there will have been some dramatisation to make it more filmic. Having said that, there were a few bits which seemed just a little contrived. Even these moments didn't take me out of the story, though, so the overall feeling I was left with was one of satisfaction, which juxtaposed sharply with the jaw-dropping finale, as I'm sure Spike Lee intended.
If you're not sure this film is your thing, I wasn't sure it would be mine either (I don't usually go in for social conscience stories), but I can't reccommend it highly enough. This just might be the best film you see all year.