Opening with a Civil War scene from Gone with the Wind and closing with footage from the Charlottesville riots, Spike Lee’s “crazy, outrageous, incredible true story” centers on the historical figure of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who in the 1970s became the first African American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, and wanted to go undercover. His chance comes when he’s assigned to surreptitiously record a speech by former Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael (Corey Hawkins), aka African nationalist Kwame Ture. After making friends with righteous Colorado State Black Student Union leader Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), Stallworth picks up the phone and calls the local Ku Klux Klan to ask about joining. When a meeting is arranged, Stallworth enlists Jewish colleague Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to pose as him. In order to be convincing, Flip hangs out with Klan members at the local pool hall, spewing racial slurs. When KKK leader David Duke (Topher Grace), visits Colorado Springs, Stallworth is ordered to be his bodyguard during a screening of D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation, celebrating the Klan. Based on Stallworth’s 2014 book Black Klansman, the film juxtaposes overt, institutional ‘70s bigotry with the racist behavior of some Americans since Donald Trump was elected President. Both visually dazzling and emotionally cathartic, this is highly recommended. Editor’s Choice. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “A Spike Lee Joint” behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min.) and an extended trailer featuring Prince’s “Mary Don’t You Weep” (5 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for one of 2018’s best films.] (S. Granger)
BlacKkKlansman
Universal, 135 min., R, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $34.99, Nov. 6 Volume 33, Issue 6
BlacKkKlansman
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: