Fight the Power

By Tom Pacak

It’s nice to have you back! Spike Lee returns to direct “BlacKkKlansman” the tale based on some “fo’ real, fo’ real shit,” told in Ron Stallworth’s memoir. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, son of Denzel Washington) was a black Colorado Springs police officer that helped infiltrate the KKK and even spoke with David Duke (Topher Grace) over the phone. Stallworth didn’t do this alone, he had the help of his White Jewish partner, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) go in and actually meet the Klan and Duke in person. Along the way, they helped stop a terrorist attack on several black activists.

Spike Lee has made his living telling stories on race issues. Here, he pulls no punches; he wants us to have no empathy for the Klan and trust me, you don’t. He portrays them, as they should; hateful bumbling idiots who repeat Trump-like phrases, “America First” and “Make America Great Again.” It’s laughable at how ridiculous they sounded but at the same time, sad knowing this is how people actually talk. Spike Lee even adds a hilarious Alec Baldwin in a mini short as Dr. Kennebrew Beaureguard, a racist leader who spews hatred on a filmstrip. This isn’t the first time Alec Baldwin has echoed Donald Trump. In this rant, he struggles to say anything in complete sentences and the filming is garbage. Most of you are probably thinking, “Who would buy what this asshole is selling?” Don’t kid yourself; millions bought the crap Donald Trump was selling. That’s what Spike Lee is trying to get across, people don’t care how stupid someone sounds, and they’ll buy it if it fits their racist leanings.

Fingers are also pointed at D.W. Griffith’s evil but influential film “The Birth of a Nation.” For those not familiar in film history, “Birth of a Nation” is a 1916 film about the Ku Klux Klan. Since that time period didn’t condemn the Klan, they were shown in a positive light and blacks were shown in a negative light. Scenes show black men (actors who wore whiteface) attacking the Klan and raping their wives. The audience cheered every time the Klan was winning the battle.  It was the first feature-length film to be screened at the White House. Since then, the film has been praised for its filmmaking techniques but heavily criticized for its plot and treatment of blacks. Spike Lee makes it perfectly clear that he hates this movie. I see "BlacKkKlansman" as an opposite version of "Birth of a Nation." In a scene that shows both sides talking about the past; he shows the Klan watching Griffth’s film cheering when the Klan is winning and cuts to a Black Power meeting where they’re talking about how much pain and suffering they’ve endured because of the Klan’s existence.

Soon, we meet our protagonist, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) an ambitious cop whose confidence helps save the day. “We’ve never had a Black police officer. So you’ll be the Jackie Robinson of the Colorado Springs police department,” he’s told by the tough but fair police chief (Robert John Burke). This analogy relates to the work Stallworth does; Robinson was taunted by baseball fans and even players for the color of his skin. Stallworth will have to go through the same dealing with the Klan and even some members of the police force.

His first job requires him to infiltrate a Black Power get together. The purpose of the investigation is 100% racist. The police force is scared that the Black Power will get too influential and cause riots. Stallworth doesn’t care; he just wants to get ahead so he goes along with it. At the meeting, he meets the leader of a Black student group, Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier) who has a very negative view on the police force. One of the officers of Stallworth’s force is known for sexually harassing her. She asks Stallworth, “What do you think of the pigs?” she is referring to cops. Stallworth tells her, “I call them cops or police." He tries to change the conversation due to himself being an officer.

This is where detective Flip Zimmerman comes in. One day, bored out of his mind, Stallworth calls the Klan; he uses his real name “Ron Stallworth” and continues to go on bigoted diatribes on how White people are the superior race. It works. The problem is that Stallworth needs to meet with the Klan in order to fully get their respect. Stallworth talks to the Klan over the phone and Zimmerman speaks to them in person.

This is the second film this year where a black male has to use a “white voice.” The first was Boots Riley’s great satire “Sorry To Bother You.” In that film, Cash uses the voice to get ahead. Here, the “white voice” is used for survival. Without it, Stallworth and Zimmerman couldn’t have pulled off the mission impossible. Stallworth has the confidence and manipulation to pull off sounding white over the phone. Meanwhile, Zimmerman has the looks and attitude to pull off being white and anti-Semitic. He struggles at times due to a scary member, Felix (Jasper Pääkkönen) a Holocaust denier who makes Zimmerman take a lie detector test to make sure he's not Jewish. Zimmerman quickly tells him, “Why would you deny it? It was beautiful.”

Adam Driver is great as a man who has to pretend to denounce his own faith in order to survive. So are the other actors! It’s quick to say that John David Washington is not as great as his pops but that is wrong! John David Washington should stand on his own as a great actor. His confidence and smooth talking proves that John David Washington didn’t fall far from the tree. Watch out for Topher Grace as David Duke, a man who will have a negative impression in all history books. The real David Duke is apparently worried about his portrayal in “BlacKkKlansman,” he should be. Grace does an outstanding job showing this man’s pure bigotry and ignorance of distinguishing between a “white voice” and “black voice.” It’s worth noting that Grace felt so dirty after playing this monster, he had to watch all of the “Hobbit” movies to cleanse himself.

Spike Lee could have ended this powerhouse on a happy note. Good guy wins, bad guy loses. That's too easy. Instead, he took the harsh but truthful way out. In the end, Spike Lee shows Stallworth and Patrice looking out their door to a bleak reality, that rallies at Charlottesville will happen and we will have a president who sides with racists over human decency. Spike Lee’s vision is that racism is alive and not going anywhere.

Rating: 4 stars out of 4

Note: Now Playing in Theaters