BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee made a decidedly interesting film about the first black cop and his infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan, which is both unprecedented and attractive stuff, but it lacked balls. John David Washington is unexpectedly good and if he becomes a star I won't be angry at all. Adam Driver surprised me as well and Jasper Pääkkönen was a proper sleazeball. The film is a bit too long for my taste and offers no eye candy sequences; it’s emotionally cold, there’s no action empty, and the humour passed me by, but still I wasn't bored and finished it with curiosity without any problems. But I am not the target audience.60% (06/11/2018)

Spike Lee chose an interesting, absurd and almost unbelievable story, which he skilfully and cleverly adapted into a brilliant satirical comedy. His casting choice is also totally accurate and there’s magic between the actors, which, for the viewer, is pure delight. All that is wrapped into a near-Tarantino style. Then, just when you’re thinking how amazing a film you’re watching, Spike Lee throws in a straight superfluous documentary-like epilogue which differs in atmosphere from the rest. It’s like the director decided to make his opinions clear at all cost, being so explicit even the simple-minded can get the message. Fortunately, despite this last-minute blunder, the general feeling remains positive, and I’d say it’s definitely a quality film worth watching. [KVIFF 2018] (02/07/2018)

The story, despite its great dramatic and meager sociological potential, only tickles its own possibilities and entertains with its graduated, unpredictable ending. The rest of the time (and especially in the disgracefully stupidly pasted-on epilogue), it's Spike Lee at his worst, that is, in the form of a blind preacher shouting at the top of his lungs. I fully agree with the thoughts he wants to convey, but their format is so terribly tired that a week after the screening I have trouble remembering the pleasant dueling between John David Washington and Adam Driver, and all I can recall are the endlessly repeated references to the pop culture of the time and the social clues for the hard-hearted, which is why I am being a bit more strict in my rating this time around. (21/02/2019)

BlacKkKlansman is an understated, feel good movie with some hints of blaxploitation and is sharply critical of Donald Trump. Racism, the black power movement and the KKK are dealt with here, meaning that the film will not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s clever, with Spike’s typical light and precise direction, and can score John David Washington some roles that would make him a new African- American star on a level with Denzel Washington. P.S.: Paul Walter Hauser (the fat little “secret agent” from I, Tonya) is an incredible fit for these ultra-redneck characters. [Cannes] (18/05/2018)

Spike Lee, as an infinite supporter of black acting culture, has his movies often full of minority views, which go right over my European head. So I had to focus on his filmmaking qualities and there are undoubtedly plenty of them. In this movie he even brilliantly balanced white power and black power into one coherent story, which even though it seems absurd, actually really happened. And as I said, it might still be a reality in USA, but to me as a European it sounds unbelievable. Maybe this is the part of the film’s charm. To be honest, in the first 20 minutes he couldn’t resist to include some in my opinion unnecessary black scenes. But after a while you focus on young Washington and Adam Driver’s excellent performances which are in turn absurd, ironically funny but also thrilling and the movie ends with a good political chapter and a brief attack on Trump. Definitively a good movie and one of the most interesting ones on the topic of oppression of black population in the USA. (14/01/2019)