Review: BlacKKKlansman
Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman is an assured and tactile piece of storytelling. Set in the seventies and based on a true story, it tells the tale of Ron Stallworth (played by the talented John David Washington), Colorado Springs’ first African American police officer. A poster boy for integration, he is at first confined to the evidence lock up but eventually begins working actual cases as an undercover cop. One day he spots a recruitment advert in the paper, placed by the local chapter of the KKK, encouraging curious racists to give them a call, which he does. No sooner could you say, ‘There goes that n*****’ than he finds himself a fully-fledged member of the clan – whoops! Sorry! They don’t call it that, it’s called ‘The Organisation’. Of course, they don’t just allow black people into the club, so Stallworth needs the help of his colleague Flip Zimmerman (the infinitely watchable Adam Driver!) to help him learn the ways of the ‘Organisation’. This is sort rebranding effort continues today. The modern incarnation of the KKK does what it can to give itself legitimacy by leaning on pseudoscience, political correctness (in it’s original meaning) and ‘alternative facts’ with the hope of making itself more palatable to a mainstream audience. But, as you might expect, you can call the clan whatever you like but they’re still racist and still hell bent on causing pain and suffering in order to maintain white supremacy.
And as their investigation unfolds, Stallworth finds himself torn between pursuing the clan and joining the local black empowerment movement to push for equality. It’s especially difficult given the tense relationship between the black community and the Police Force, something that still unfortunately rings true today. There are numerous, well documented incidents of heavy handed policing of the black community which has resulted in the unwarranted deaths of unarmed men, women and children. This is one of several ways in which the film makes allusions to modern life, including one scene in which Stallworth remarks that it would be near impossible for America to elect a president that was obviously racist. It’s pretty clear who that is a reference to. And that is perhaps my number one problem with the film. At times it felt like Mr. Lee was joining the dots for us rather than leaving us to join them for ourselves, which made for a slightly less satisfying film watching experience. That and at times it felt a bit long. As black person I weirdly feel guilty for that last critique, maybe a subject matter so important and still relevant today as this is, needs as long as it needs.
I do have to commend the film on several fronts; not least the fact the cast is a winning ensemble without a single dud. In particular, Mr. Washington has all the family charisma and gravitas you might have expected. The film also highlights a much overlooked aspect of the history of the KKK and that is the contribution of its female members in upholding the organisation. This is counterbalanced by the bitter irony that though these wives, mothers and sisters kept the clans foundations strong, they were largely held back from leadership roles or marginalised. Again this is something that still exists in the far right now. Despite the presence of a few high profile women, the movement is still very sexist.
The film ends with a montage drawing the audience’s attention to the events of the last few years that brought the KKK and far right politics back into mainstream conversation including the March in Chartlottesville that lead to the death of Heather Hayer. It’s clear Mr. Lee wants us to see the parallels.
Speaking of which, Spike Lee sure knows how to make films. BlacKKKlansman still manages to be both entertaining and terrifying all at once. It’s definitely a must see.
BlacKKKlansman is in the Cinemas but will also be available through your favourite streaming service soon, so keep an eye out.
