Blackkklansman

Two cops are standing in a room talking about the Ku Klux Klan. One argues they are a bunch of ill informed, disorganised idiots. The other counters that they are an insidious organisation. That not taking them seriously will normalise them, cause other people to not take them seriously, let them take hold and gain power until one day...one day they get one of their own in the oval office. A suggestion that is met with a disbelieving scoff......

It's 1972 and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) has just become the first African American cop in the town of Colorado Springs. One day he takes a chance on a newspaper advertisement and becomes the first African American Ku Klux Klan member in North America. Over the phone he sells himself as a prime example of a pure white America while fellow cop Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) plays the part of Ron at klan meetings. Between them they plot to get to the man behind the klan, the grand wizard David Duke.

This was a powerful watch. One that's both an eye opening history lesson and a damning indictment of modern day America for letting itself get to the state it's in now. On top of that it's a genuinely hilarious film (keep your eye out for a brilliant Wire in-joke) but one that will send you out of the cinema feeling like you've been kicked in the head. Spike Lee is on mighty form here and it's great to see him back and with that fire in his belly that's been missing for far too long. It's a righteously angry film, a polemic that takes potshots at Trump, US government policy, the police, Hollywood's own acceptance of racism and even blaxploitation films themselves for the harmful stereotypes they perpetuated.

It's humour comes from the absurdity of it all. Ron's afro juxtaposed against a room full of redneck buzzcuts, David Duke's unwavering belief that he can recognise a black voice on the phone while unknowingly chatting to Ron over the phone. Klan members that are one strand of DNA away from pond life shouting about racial superiority and so much more. Proper belly laugh stuff until the realisation of what you are laughing about stops you in your tracks and the fear kicks in. The awareness that people still genuinely think like this. A cosy moment between a klan member and his wife in bed becomes both ridiculous and petrifying when you hear what she has to say. Knowing dialogue like the oval office line mentioned earlier slaps you in the face after you laugh at it. Lee shows amazing skill in cutting back and forth between the laughs and the sobering stuff. Everytime it happens it jolts you out of your complacency. 

This happens the characters in the film too. Ron leans more towards blue than black and is forced to ask himself hard questions about his own identity while Flip, who is Jewish, is forced to confront a part of himself he never had much time for while undercover with people who if they knew the truth about him would kill him. It's a film that forces it's characters and it's audience to think about who they really are. Are you a racist, do you harbour racist thoughts, if you hear racism will you ignore it or call it out. If you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem. Lee is a film maker who has never been afraid of shouting at his audience. Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Clockers, Malcolm X, When The Levees Broke and now this. Films and documentaries that cut right into the dark heart of the American dream. This isn't a film that should be ignored. 

John David Washington is excellent as the lead and while he may look and sound startlingly like his father Denzel at times, happily he brings his own vitality to the role and the moments where you feel he wants to burst from his cop skin are electrifiying. Adam Driver as Flip is great too. Driver's a really interesting actor and his inner turmoil here fills the film with nervous energy and is the catalyst for the film's tenser moments, especially one scene in a basement with a gun and a lie detector test. Laura Harrier as student activist Patrice is good but not as well served by the script as others probably because she's a fictional amalgamation of early 70's activists. Corey Hawkins gets a blistering cameo as Kwame Ture and a late appearance by an ancient Harry Belafonte as an elder statesman of the civil rights movement will break your heart. Topher Grace as David Duke though, oh jesus he's a hateful bastard and 60 seconds of screen time while blow away all That 70's Show memories fast. 

Go see this. Go see it now. It's the film you didn't realise you needed. It's a film that will play on your mind when you watch that orange prick blather on again and again on the 6pm news. It's a timely reminder of the state of the world and how it got to this position. It's a vital, intelligent, hilarious and ultimately terrifying watch.