#MakeRacismScaryAgain

#MakeRacismScaryAgain

A Review by: Nicole Klein

For quite a few years now, many have doubted if Spike Lee’s directorial stylings were what they used to be. Needless to say, Spike Lee’s newest offering, a little adaptation by the name of BlacKkKlansman feels like the triumphant return that fans of his work have been dreaming of for years. Although darkly comedic in an in-your-face, almost Tarantino-esque way, BlacKkKlansman doesn’t shy away from the timely social criticism when needed, quite the contrary, BlacKkKlansman is a dual-natured film. At times it delivers deadpan humor and dry wit. However, when it comes time for the discourse, BlacKkKlansman unapologetically aims to make racism downright scary again.

In this fictionalized adaptation of an autobiography of the same name, John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, the first black police officer of the Colorado Springs police department. Ron Stallworth, at first assigned to grunt-work by his chief, quickly moves to the rank of undercover detective through little more than his own tenacity. After doing a job investigation ‘dangerous’ and ‘radical’ black student activists, he decides one day to infiltrate the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan by impersonating a prospective member on the phone. The police department goes along with him and allows him to open up an investigation, should he find a credible threat from them. The only problem; the chapter wants to meet Ron in person before let him in on all their juicy insider secrets. Ron’s solution comes in the form of Adam Driver, playing the quiet Jewish detective Flip Zimmerman. Flip is to impersonate Ron in these meetings, acting as his white double in the field why he takes care of all the phone conversations.

Oddly enough, a bizzare scenario such as this generates equal amounts of situational humor and abject terror. The chemistry between the actors is fantastic. The quippy humor between Driver and Washington generations believable interactions that are quite satisfying to behold. Equally as fascinating are the interactions between the members of the Klan. In a way, they generate an odd little family of losers and outcasts, amplifying the discomfort one feels while watching what seem like ordinary people resume their hateful and repugnant terrorist activities. The most disconcerting of all are moments when Felix Kendrickson (Jasper Paakkonen) and his wife Connie (Ashlie Atkinson) bask in the sexual afterglow, as their ‘dirty-talk’ consists of fantasizing  about mowing down people of color as gorily and violently as they possibly.

 Yes, when it comes time to comment on the social conditions of both 1979 and the Trumpian nightmare of the late Twenty-Teens, BlacKkKlansman certainly pulls no punches. On the surface, it could appear that these little references only come during jokey little winks to the audience, but look just beneath the surface, and BlacKkKlansman offers a whole world of discourse. Take, for example, Ron’s twin investigations showcased in this film, those being the investigations of Kwame Ture and the Ku Klux Klan. Ron’s investigation of Kwame Ture happens and is closed rather quickly. When given his assignment, Ron is warned that Ture and his small army of civil rights activists are ‘the gravest threats to national security’. Contrasted with his investigation of the Klan, at first not at all taken seriously and then acted upon slowly, even when there was clear danger, the parallels to current events are clearly (specifically the labeling of modern black activists as ‘terrorists’ and modern white supremacists as ‘fine people’). And if simple narrative allusions aren’t enough to make their point, Spike Lee drags us out of the comedic and into cruel reality with clips from contemporary and lethal white supremacist gatherings.

Not only is this film poignant and surprisingly quite humorous, it is also quite aesthetically pleasing. The film’s color palette is one of the warm, if only slightly unsettling, earthy tones of autumn. During scenes of the Klan, these colors take on a more faded look and read horror-cinema. When Ron is among understanding ears, rich reds add fiery passion to his scenes. The set design, too serves to add an unsettling aura to the Klan’s meeting-places. These paces are grimy, cluttered and often dimly lit, giving audiences the feeling of having walked into a slasher-villain’s home. This is fitting, as this film’s intent is to inform audiences on the sheer terror the Klan embodies for anyone they target.  

BlacKkKlansman serves as both a reminder of the power of Spike Lee’s authorial stylings and timely commentary in the age of ‘alternative facts’. Supplying equal helpings of laughs, discomfort, and drama, BlacKkKlansman cannot be missed.

9.5/10

·         Director: Spike Lee

·         Cast: Adam Driver, Topher Grace, John David Washington

·         Screenplay: Spike Lee and others