PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE KLANSMEN GETTING OFFED? what the fuck that scene is actually amazing. the first hour is also amazing i was at the edge of my seat from second one but can i talk about the klansman down sequence for a bit because that scene does so many cool things
First and most obvious, it offers some much needed catharsis. The audience has at that point been through hell with out protagonists, watched them suffer and die and lose the people they love. The klan's destruction is a strong bright point that keeps the film from feeling too drenched in black suffering, while still keeping the tone bittersweet.
Second, it's a brilliant inversion of the stock action movie sequence of white protagonist mowing down nameless black and brown people. The klan are given less humanity within the movie than the actual vampires. It is notable that the only klansman to get any characterisation, the chapter leader, only really gets enough to make him more hateable. He's a condescending two faced prick on top of racist mass murderer and we get to watch him crawl on the floor begging for mercy from our black hero. It's a big middle finger to the casual racism of the action movie genre.
Third, it's a beautiful conclusion to Smoke's - or I should say, Elijah's character arc. He is haunted by two things throughout the film - his child's death, and his own violence. He killed his own father to protect his twin, and while justified, it seems this action and others like it have left him with quite a bit of guilt. So it is meaningful that, as bombastic and satisfying as his violence against the klan is, it all fades away as soon as Annie appears with their child. The satisfaction of revenge doesn't hold a candle to what truly drives him - love for his family.
Fourth, it parallels Sammie's confrontation with his father. Sammie's battle is an inner one, and it is illustrated in more literal terms by Smoke's very outer struggle. Their respective scenes build off each other. This also goes for the conclusion, where Elijah's reconnection with his family reaffirms that Sammie's holding on to the blues is keeping him connected to the ancestors.
Fifth it's a bunch of klansmen getting gunned down by a black guy are you kidding me. In what universe is that a problem. "Yeah I loved all the bits where black people got killed but the klansman massacre is where i draw the line" do you listen to yourself ever
andulkaphoto
turnnoffyourmind
janainaart
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
