Review : BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Here we are, 30 years in, and Spike Lee just continues to get better and better. In fact, it was almost 30 years ago that Mo’ Betta Blues marked the first time that Spike teamed up with Denzel Washington, eventually helping evolve him rom a standout supporting actor to the icon and legend he is today. Now, here we are, Spike directing Denzel’s son in what will more than likely go down as an iconic performance in the standout film BlacKkKlansman.
It’s 1972, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) has his sights set on breaking the color barrier on the Colorado Springs Police Department by becoming the first black detective. Upon hiring, he immediately establishes himself by attending the Black Student Union of Colorado College sponsored speech of Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins), formerly Stokley Carmichael, while wearing a wire. To his good fortune, he meets Black Student Union president Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), and a connection is sparked. His next assignment, however, puts him on the map : infiltrating the Organization (read, the KKK) via phone conversations and a physical presence via fellow detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver). The plan is effective enough to put Stallworth on the map of Grand Wizard turned National Director David Duke (Topher Grace), but it does not escape the suspicion of Colorado Springs chapter member Felix Kendrickson (Jasper Paakonen), despite support for Stallworth by key Organization member Walter Breachway (Ryan Eggold). With danger and tensions rising between the black and white communities of Colorado Springs, the combined Ron Stallworth attempts to thwart the growth of the Organization and keep peace in the community.
While containing many of the key Spike Lee visual and thematic earmarks present in all of his films, something about BlacKkKlansman and it’s balance in both narrative and presentation resonates stronger than anything he’s directed since Malcolm X. The aforementioned tools like the floating actor shot do show up, but new tools are used to great effect. During the Kwame Ture speech in the film, Ture focuses on identity and self-value, and Lee emphasizes this sentiment through beautiful portrait-style close ups of individual audience members against a black background, presented like a collage. The effect is striking, working on both a literal and emotional level, and deepening our involvement on the side of the protagonist. Spike also manages to drop a handful of knowledge on the viewers, as well as a few points of modern day relevance, with a great amount of uncomfortable humor thrown in for good measure.
The power struggles presented in this film and the way that they are interwoven without being wholly dependent on one another is key as well. Stallworth is dealing with a power of identity in the realm of respect deserved to him as a man in a profession not known for its sympathy to black folks. Felix and Flip fight both a literal power struggle (in regards to who will run the organization) and a symbolic one (in regards to Flip constantly being challenged by Felix on whether or not he is Jewish). The Black Student Union is fighting a power struggle against the powers that be for equality and identity, while the Organization is fighting a power struggle in hopes of taking their publicly perceived identity back in order to reshape and resell it to new generations.
From my understanding, the film originally was meant to end within the world of the original narrative, with a standard Spike Lee-esque symbolic closing shot to nail down the idea. During post-production, however, the Charlotte demonstrations took place during the early days of the Trump presidency, and like a gift from God himself, David Duke found himself wholly relevant once again, amazingly for the exact same issues raised within the film itself, meaning Spike’s original intended motif of how even great victories can be tainted by everlasting negative mindsets, was suddenly illustrated front in center in the modern day. This lead to a compelling set of additions at the end of the film that left myself and many members of the audience crying and silent, further demonstrating the power of Spike Lee’s statement.
John David Washington is amazingly charismatic in this film, commanding himself in a performance that makes it nearly impossible not to instantly fall in love with seeing him on the screen. Adam Driver continues to show his dynamic range by finding all of the key elements for his character to compliment Washington’s performance, therefore managing to give him an equally compelling performance without either actor detracting from one another. Laura Harrier plays the romantic interest sufficiently while managing to carve out her own identity, although she is slightly underused and is sometimes purely included to help move things forward. Topher Grace hits us with another charming portrayal of a morally deficient individual (similar to his performance in American Ultra), finding a perfect balance between realistic and slightly dopey with high hopes for power. Ryan Eggold and Paul Walter Hauser reel you in as members of the Colorado Springs branch of the Organization, but it’s the performance of Jasper Paakonen that truly stands out in that bunch, with his intensity and commanding nature working at a perfect smolder, with the ever present sense of danger emanating right off of him. Ashlie Atkinson and Corey Hawkins also turn in notable performances, and memorable appearances from Harry Belafonte, Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover also deserve mention.
Spike Lee continues to make films wholly relevant to both the current times we live in, and the history that has led us straight to these times. BlacKkKlansman is a standout film, and a truly important one that is much needed right now.
