BlacKkKlansman – 2018
Before seeing this movie, I have to admit to having a preconceived notion that was not fair to the film or the filmmaker. I thought that because it was a Spike Lee movie, that it was going to be about black this and black that, racism, racism, and evil white men. I have never been a follower of Spike’s career or his films, but I have heard through word of mouth and read news articles about them. I have also seen a little bit of how he behaves in public, like his acceptance speech which he gave for winning the Oscar for Best Director for this movie. He is never inappropriate, but he seems very political-minded and passionate. And as I tend to shy away from anything political, I’ve never had any interest in watching his films.
But this movie was about more than blatant racism. It dealt with antisemitism and homophobia. In other words, it was about hate, plain and simple. Now, I had the misconception that the Ku Klux Klan was exclusively against black people, but it makes sense that they hate Jews and homosexuals as well. And I have no doubt that all other ethnic minorities can be included in their list, though those were the three groups that the film focused on. They just hate anyone who is not straight, white, and follows their particular denomination of Christianity.
The plot is based on a true story, and is about a black police officer infiltrating the Klan, with the help of a Jewish officer. I’m surprised a gay officer wasn’t thrown into the mix as well. It is interesting to note that The Jewish officer was an invented character. John David Washington played officer Ron Stallworth, the first black policeman in Colorado Springs, CO. Of course, he encounters prejudice among his fellow officers, though nothing that he can formally complain about. He asks to be made an undercover detective, a request which is eventually granted. His first assignment is to infiltrate a rally where national civil rights leader Kwame Ture, played by Corey Hawkins, is speaking.
After a successful assignment, he finds an advertisement for the local chapter of the KKK in the newspaper. He calls and speaks to Walter Breachway, played by Ryan Eggold, but makes the rookie mistake of using his own name in the conversation. In order to meet Breachway in person, he partners up with Jewish officer, Detective Philip “Flip” Zimmerman, played by Adam Driver. Flip assumes Stallworth’s name and together, the two men apply for membership in the Klan. While undercover, Flip meets other Klan members like the psychotic racist Felix Kendrickson played by Jasper Paakkonen, and the ridiculously retarded Ivanhoe, played by Paul Walter. The real Ron also gets in touch with David Duke, the grand Wizard of the KKK national organization, played by Topher Grace.
The movie is called a biographical crime film, but I think I would categorize it as a black comedy. It all had an almost light-hearted feel. However, while there were funny moments, the entire movie was constantly teetering on the edge of being uncomfortable to watch, and I know why. First, the blatant hatred in the film was so over-the-top that it bordered on farcical, but the sad truth is that there are really people in the world who think and act exactly like the characters in the movie. Second, the heavy use of racial slurs, especially the constant repetition of the “N” word, was not easy to listen to. It’s a word I’ve never liked and I cringe whenever I hear it. But that was part of the point of the movie and its message. It was never used gratuitously, but to help paint that picture of extreme hatred. And if you think about it, who else but Spike Lee could have gotten away with it so easily?
But things start to get deadly serious when Flip is put into situations involving guns and crazy Klan members. When Felix and his racist wife Connie, played by Ashlie Atkinson, decide to go beyond cross burning and assassinate the leader of the black student union, Patrice Dumas, played by Laura Harrier, the story starts to build to its explosive climax. But therein lies another of the movie’s historical inaccuracies. The bomb plot was actually part of a completely different case involving the KKK.
I thought all the acting was spot-on, especially Adam Driver, who had to handle some of the more intense scenes where he is put in danger of being discovered and killed. Driver was actually nominated for Best supporting actor for his efforts, though he did not win. I also really liked Washington’s performance. He was very believable, and appeared very at ease on the screen. And as much as I disliked the character, I thought Toper Grace did a pretty good job as David Duke.
And I really liked how Spike Lee chose to end his movie. Yes, the over-the top racism in the movie was almost, though not quite, comical. But whatever comedy the movie had was abruptly cut short when news footage from the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia is displayed on the screen, reminding me that there is nothing funny about the real events still taking place in the world today. The final images are of Heather Heyer, a young white counter-protester who was run down and killed in a car attack at the terrible event. After doing some reading, I learned that Heather’s last Facebook post said “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” And I think that may have been the point of Spike Lee’s film.