See this movie. No, really. See Spike Lee’s BlacKKKlansman.
Seriously. See this movie. (Have I been clear enough?)
There has rarely been a more powerful, timely, well-executed, film.* And to see it on the Charlottesville anniversary. Well . . . . . .
The best movies are the ones you take with you out of the theater and stay with you for days, coming back to inspire and/or haunt you in years to come. Lincoln, Selma and The Battle of the Sexes come to mind. The links are to my reviews on Kos.
I’m sure everyone knows the premise of BlacKKKlansman, so no spoiler alert for that: Black cop impersonates Klan recruit on the phone, and white cop infiltrates in person. Tension, danger (and comedy) follow, leading to a devastating ending I wish I could describe. (That would be a spoiler.)
It’s Lee’s best feature film I’ve seen since Do the Right Thing — and the cast is excellent — John David Washington as Stallworth, the black cop; Adam Driver as the white cop; Corey Hawkins as Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), invited to speak by Laura Harrier as a black student. Hawkins’ role is brief but electrifying, Harry Belafonte’s cameo is chilling, and Topher Grace gets the slickly evil David Duke just right.
Did I mention you should see it ASAP?
* Seeing The China Syndrome in 1979 at the same time the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown was happening in real time was pretty surreal.