BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Director: Spike Lee

Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier

Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer from Colorado Springs, Colorado, successfully infiltrates the local Ku Klux Klan branch aided by a Jewish surrogate who eventually becomes its leader. Based on actual events.

‘BlacKkKlansman’ might be a highly acclaimed, multi-award winning movie, but I didn’t enjoy it. The film did get better towards the end and the final 30 minutes or so weren’t all bad, but even so this is not my kind of movie and I hated it. And I’ll tell you why.

Racism. Racism. Racism. I HATE movies dealing with racism. With nigger this, nigger that, white man this, white man that, it was a very unpleasant movie to watch. In this entire (overlong) film there’s not a single scene without racist black or white or Jew remarks. Can you imagine how uncomfortable this must be in a theatre with a multi-racial audience?

The film’s premise also didn’t interest me in the least: the Ku Klux Klan. The less I know about them, the better. Yet, here I was watching the movie. Why do they still make movies featuring racism? The film is stirring what should be left unstirred. The way these white folks talk, I completely understand why black people would hate white people (and I’m white, by the way!).

Ok, so I’ve had my rant. John David Washington stars as Ron Stallworth, on whose book the film is based. He became the first Afro-American officer in Colorado Springs. Soon after joining the force, he requested to be an undercover detective. His first assignment is to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, but there’s a twist. In a telephone conversation he used his real name when he spoke to the Ku Klux Klan. Now, fellow cop Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), who happens to be a Jew, must assume Ron’s identity when he meets the members face to face. All the while Ron himself – being so well-spoken – is still the voice on the phone.

I’m not gonna go into further details here, but the film then revolves around Flip getting to know the members of the Ku Klux Klan, and becoming a member himself – undercover, off course. The performances were very good, especially John David Washington. There are also a few very funny moments, but this is a film I’d rather not have seen. This is an offensive and humiliating film with way too many derogative insults. I hated it.

‘BlacKkKlansman’ earned $93.4 million on a $15 million budget. It received 259 award nominations, winning 45 including an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It also received Oscar nominations for Best Music, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Editing.

Would I watch it again? No.