Film Review: BlacKkKlansman (2018)

BlacKkKlansman (2018) is an American biographical crime film based on the book Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth. Directed by legendary director Spike Lee, this film stars John David Washington as Stallworth, with Adam Driver and Topher Grace supporting. This film follows Stallworth, a black man, as he joins the police force as a role of an undercover detective and tackle down on the Ku Klux Klan.

BlacKkKlansman (2018) – source: Focus Features

I am gutted that I ended up missing this film in the cinema, because this was one hell of a movie and I feel the cinematic experience would have only enhanced my thoughts on the film. The performances shine throughout, and it is thanks to John David Washington as Stallworth that this insane true story actually sounds believable. He carries the movie and you can see the passionate performance he gives here. It is truly a shame that he ended up not getting a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars.

Who did get a nomination though for Best Supporting Actor is Adam Driver, who plays his workmate and is the person who actually goes undercover in the physical KKK meetings. He gives an outstanding performance here too, and proves that he is more than just a blockbuster actor. Topher Grace is another stand out here as he gets given a very hard and menacing role, but does a great job in it. It took me a second to get into his character, but that was simply because of my love for Topher Grace in That 70s Show.

What makes this film work is the screenplay for this film. This is an insane true story, and if done wrong this could have gone horribly wrong. It could have seemed fake or forced, but instead it felt believable. There was a nice balance between the cops, the KKK, the black empowerment and just general characterisation of Stallworth, and you are never left bored for a second. Spike Lee shows us everything that we need to see to get the story, but in a way that isn’t blatantly told to the audience.

BlacKkKlansman (2018) – source: Focus Features

The editing style of this film is also well done. This could have been overproduced or highly stylised, but it wasn’t. There were several sequences that felt particularly polished and well edited, and I was just impressed by the editing overall. When the split screen was up between David Duke (Topher Grace) and Ron Stallworth, it felt very smooth and a nice touch. It is up for Best Editing at the Oscars and whilst it is not the favourite to win, I think the simple editing style deserves it for the seamless story and nice pacing. 

This movie was already a fantastic film with such a great conclusion to the story, and then the end of the film came on. I will not spoil what the ending of the film is, as it creates such a big impact to actually witness without knowing anything about it. However, it felt so relevant and created a bigger sense of realism, that the entire story just felt more powerful. This is a film that shouts power and relevance, without compromising on the story, performances or editing.