A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Tanmay Shukla
BlacKkKlansman - Official Trailer
By Tanmay Shukla
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
BlacKkKlansman is an admirable adaptation
of Ron Stallworth's memoir Black Klansman. It has everything that a film needs
to be entertaining—comedy, drama, witty dialogues, rapidly unfolding plot, good
music and a very effective score. The acting is excellent all around. Spike Lee
makes no mistake as the director. The subject however is important and has
scope for dramatic and provocative treatment which Lee ingeniously exploits to lift
the tension and spirits in BlacKkKlansman.
Two detectives, Ron and Flip are are trying
to find information about the Ku Klux Klan organisation. Ron fakes a
"white accent” on phone, playing a white racist and right extremist to get
a membership. He forgets to use a fake identity which forces him to send Flip
instead to meet the members of the Klan. So Adam Driver is "playing a Jewish
man (Flip Zimmerman), playing a black man, playing a racist white man” which is
exactly as funny as it sounds.
The performances deserve high praise.
Denzel Washington's son John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth. Ron is the
first black officer in Colorado police. He is smart, fearless and a bit cocky.
Ron being a person of colour and a pig (Black speak for cop) is a conflict that
he has to confront and find a way through. His love interest Patrice (played by
Laura Harrier) hates cops and has been subject to oppression on many occasions.
Patrice is the president of black student union at Colorado College. She is devoted
to her cause and politics is all that is in her mind, because “What’s more
important?” she says. “I cannot let it rest. I am thinking about it all the
time.” It has become their life.
Adam Driver is equally good, if not better.
There are many fine actors in Hollywood but few as natural and at so much ease
as he is. Whatever he is in, he never disappoints. There is a little
confrontational scene in the middle. He says to Ron: “For you it's a crusade.
For me it's a job.” Later, he confesses that he was “raised as a Jew around
white kids” but now he was thinking about his heritage and identity. This
reflection comes when Felix (at the Klan) hurls racial abuse directed at Jews while
he is acting as one of the Klan.
Some might find a few problems with screenplay
written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee, but
it is the biggest strength of BlacKkKlansman even if it’s not perfect. In such
a passionate film the impact of dialogues cannot be understated. The dialogues
in BlacKkKlansman are powerful because they are direct and on your face. BlacKkKlansman’s
ending is exponentially moreaffecting because of the dark comedy tone of the
film.
Corey Hawkins plays Kwame Ture (Stokely
Carmichael) who sweeps everyone away with his galvanic speech on Black Power.
Kwame is young and charged up. He is not using the language of poetry; he
speaks the language of the youth. He has had enough and you can see the spark
of revolution in his eyes. Corey is authoritative in his body language and
tone. When he is speaking (lines like “We are Black and we are beautiful”) you
cannot look away. Even Ron the cop is moved.
“How do you sell hate? By becoming a
politician.” Topher Grace plays David Duke, grand wizard of the Klan. It is
evident who is Spike Lee hinting at with lines like “make America great again”
and “America first”. Topher Grace is very good in his part. He is measured in
approach and is looking at the bigger picture, to infiltrate the system. All the
actors look convincing in their roles which is expected from a Spike’s film.
Spike Lee makes no attempt to guise his
message under a thick veil of metaphors, motifs or allusions. He is not subtle
and he knows it. He has dedicated much of his attention to the execution of the
demanding screenplay which anyways didn't require a lot of tinkering as in
terms of narrative, it was already perfect.
Spike Lee gets on the face and serious in
the end. If you didn't get his message so far, here is the actual, real footage
of what's happening today. What you see is horrific and shocking. This is not
fiction, this is non-fiction, this is real and this has not only happened in
the past, this is happening right in front of our eyesright now. Final frame is
the flag of distress. By the time it fades to black, the whole theatre was
silent. BlacKkKlasman made all of us laugh, but in the end it left some in
tears, and almost everyone in shock, I hope.
Note: BlacKkKlansman was recently screened at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2018.
Rating: 7/10
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
BlacKkKlansman - Official Trailer
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
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