BlacKkKlansman (2018) Review

"With the right white man we can do anything."

-Ron Stallworth

Ron Stallworth is hired as the first black detective at the Colorado Springs police department.  His initial investigation involves being sent undercover in the Civil Rights Movement, which he finds to be a waste of time.  He manages to start an investigation into the Ku Klux Klan and starts forming relationships over the phone with several members, including David Duke (Topher Grace), the leader of the KKK.  But when the Klan wants to meet in person, Stallworth's fellow officer, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), who happens to be Jewish, is sent in undercover to join their ranks and be the face to Ron's voice.  Together, they uncover a plot by some of the more violent members of the KKK and have to find out everything they can before their identities are exposed or innocent people die.

What Works:

BlacKkKlansman is a powerful film that doesn't hold back.  It's a dark story they are telling, but the film also manages to be extremely funny, while still being very dark.  The sense of humor in this film is extremely offensive and not for the faint of heart, but if you enjoy dark humor, this film has plenty of it.  But on the flip side, the film is a drama and carries with it the same tone.  That why this movie works so well.  It has drama and it has comedy, but the tone is dark throughout.  It doesn't feel imbalanced in any way.  It feels real.

Part way through the film, my only real complaint was that it wasn't very subtle, but the ending makes you realize that subtlety was never the intention.  The ending is an absolute gut-punch that left my theater stunned into silence by the time the credits rolled.  The ending of this movie isn't happy because they didn't solve the problems in BlacKkKlansman.  There are still KKK members and white nationalists out there in force today and this movie refuses to let us forget that.  I applaud them for it.

The performances are all around excellent.  John David Washington is fantastic as Ron Stallworth and it seems like he's the only person who sees the world in the right way.  He's a great lens to view the film through and I love how he's not willing to give up on fixing the system from the inside.

Adam Driver is also fantastic as we watch the assignment become personal for him.  I was unaware his character was Jewish going in and that revelation adds a lot of weight to the film.  His multiple layers of acting is truly one of the highlights of the film.

Topher Grace is perfectly cast as David Duke and they look alarmingly alike.  Grace brings the perfect amount of charisma and absurdity to the leader of this horrible organization.

This film is extremely thought provoking in its message.  There is the obvious complete and utter condemnation of the KKK, but there is more than just that.  It also levels some critiques and criticisms at the police, but also at some members of the the Civil Rights Movement.  Most interesting of all is a sequence that cuts between a group of Klansman chanting "White Power" and a Civil Rights group chanting "Black Power".  The context behind each of the scenes is very interesting and it shows us the vast difference in motivation between the groups.  And those are just a few examples.  One thing is for sure, this movie will leave you with things to think about.

Finally, the 3rd act of the film may be the best directed sequence I've seen this year.  There are a lot of moving parts with an extreme amount of tension and emotion.  It may be my favorite sequence I've seen so far this year and it is extremely memorable.

What Sucks:

I've got nothing for ya.

Verdict:

BlacKkKlansman is a powerful and dark film that nails both the drama and the humor.  The acting is fantastic all around, the direction is excellent, and the message is clear and thought-provoking.  BlacKkKlansman is without a doubt one of the best films I've seen this year and has absolutely got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing