Movie: Blackkklansman

Yesterday I had the privilege to go see Spike Lee’s latest film Blackkklansman with my parents. It was a really good movie. I thought that there were a lot of things that this movie did right, a lot of things that this movie handled well, but also a few things that were well intended but were inappropriate. There were many messages and themes scattered throughout the film some were more apparent than others and some, depending on the type of audience watching, were lost in translation.

I will preface this review by saying that I will be getting into some pretty heavy topics. Just know I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Now that we’ve covered that let’s get started.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

Let’s jump straight into the meat of this gem. Blackkklansman is a movie that is not at all subtle about the parallels of the past and the present. From the conversations about the shooting of black people by law enforcement to off screen characters yelling “make America great again” in the background. But there are a few things that you have to look closely at and analyze to get. But I’ll get into those later.

First, let’s get into the beautiful truth. Many people would go and watch this movie and conclude that the theme is “racism is wrong.” That would be incorrect. We already know racism is wrong. It’s everything else that stems from racism is what this movie captures. Some people don’t like to admit it but everyone is capable of racism. Whether they’re Black, White, Latino, Asian, etc. No matter where it’s coming from racism is wrong. The Black Panther leader, Kwame Ture referring to the police as pigs is wrong. David Duke calling every person who isn’t white some derogatory name is wrong. I am in no way comparing these two people because their philosophies are different but their approach to certain subjects is similar. Another parallel that was portrayed in this movie is when the scene goes back and forth from shouts of the Klan yelling “white power” and the Panthers yelling “black power.” Again I’m not saying these groups are the same but they aren’t entirely different.

Hypocrisy is another thing that was huge in this movie. The KKK preaches about the superiority of being white, of the fear of becoming a minority in “their” own country, etc. But then you get characters like Felix and the Colorado Springs chapter who agree with that. Except if you’re Jewish or homosexual. That same parallel was shown with the Black Panthers. They preach about the liberation of black people but Patrice calls Ron the enemy because he’s a cop. These two things, I think, were masterfully done. After the movie I turned to my dad and said neither one of them were real. Especially Patrice. She was for the liberation of black people, but only those that she felt were truly “black.” The parallels between these two groups was purposeful and meaningful in showing that neither group unconditionally cares for their own people.

Another theme in the movie was that it takes everyone to fix a problem. I didn’t realize this until I sat down to write this review but the police station was a metaphor for America. At first there was integration. At the beginning of the movie when Ron first became an officer the tension was palpable. Integration didn’t automatically mean that people would start magically getting along but it meant that now there was a place for the conversation to start. Yes one would say that Ron didn’t “act” or speak like the other black characters but I think that was on purpose. Because it showed that no matter how “white” he sounded or acted people just saw him as another black man. But as the movie progressed the other officers began to accept him. Integration was rocky at first but people began to look past the surface and see that no matter the color of one’s skin, underneath they’re a human being too. Officer Landers represented the racism that still exists is our country and Chief Bridges the obstacles from traditionalist that are encountered when there’s a shift in ideals by progressives. But at the end of the movie Landers is arrested through the collective work of Ron, Patrice, Flip, and the other Colorado Springs officers. Even Chief Briggs assisted with the plan. He may be an obstacle but even obstacles fall under the power of change.

The only group that had a happy ending was the Colorado Springs Police Department. The Klan thought that they could succeed in their mission with only people who fit their definition of what a “real White man is.” In the end their plans were thwarted, three of the members were killed, another thrown in prison, and David Duke was duped. The Black Panther’s rally was cancelled and Patrice gave up on love and the chance to make real progress because of her arrogance. Ron would not have been able to accomplish what he did without the help of his fellow officers. He never would have infiltrated the KKK, he would have been arrested, Connie would have gotten away, and Landers would still be a cop. It takes people of all races to fix a race problem.

Next, the good. Ivanhoe’s character was one of my favorite things about this movie. Blackkklansman handles some pretty heavy topics so inserting a comic relief character was a good idea. His goofy nature and the ridiculous things he says alleviated scenes that would have otherwise left many people angry.

Now the plot. The storyline, I have to say, was basic but that’s ok. The point of this movie was not to provide this intricate plot that had us thinking and trying to figure out who the real bad guy was and what their true intentions were. We knew who the villain of the movie was and what he wanted to accomplish. That’s one thing that I appreciated about this movie is that it didn’t waste time on the story and focused on what it wanted to convey. But the plot was in no way bad.

Next are the characters. The characters to me were like the plot: basic. They weren’t overly complex in their personality, nor did any of the characters go through this great realization and change by the end of the movie. Again, this was in no way a bad thing because the movie may be based on a real person but that’s not what the movie is about. Personally I would have docked points had this movie tried to have a character development arc thrown in there. But overall this movie was great, inspirational, and clear in what it was trying to convey.

Finally the bad. This movie would have had no complaints from me had it not been for the ending. As I said before the not so subtle parallels between the past and present were clear. They were hard to miss. It’s no secret that the events in Charlottesville were a tragedy. It’s no secret that there has been an increase in racial tension over the past decade and ever more so in the past few years. It’s no secret that there is no love lost between many of the American people and President Trump. But for them to add those clips at the end of the movie was, in my opinion, not only distasteful, unprofessional, and inciting but also defeats the purpose of what made this movie so good.

Art imitates life and the movie does that. It’s supposed to make us think and try to come to a solution and in doing so starting a conversation. An artist’s job is not to tell people what to think. It’s to get them to think in the first place. One of the best examples I can think of is Childish Gambino’s music video “This is America.” We know what it was trying to convey. It got people to think. It started a conversation about a social problem. When asked, Gambino said he would let people come to their own conclusions. That to me is true art.

I can’t say it enough. Overall this was a fantastic movie because it carries on past its run time, outside the walls of the theater, and into our everyday lives. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it’s a film I think we need to all see. Then afterwards we can all come to the table to talk.