Spike Lee is no stranger to controversy so you won’t be surprised with the subject material, the acting, or the final product in BlacKkKlansman. There are those in the shadows who are already polishing up the Oscar for Best Picture. But come on guys, this movie is NOT the best picture of 2018. It won’t even be close. Sure this film should/will receive nominations, but this movie fell way below my expectations.
I figured this movie was going to be more comedy than anything else, but with such a long runtime, it tried to be funny and serious at the same time the whole time. It was hard to root for the cops and the Klansmen at the same time. I don’t even mean that in a racist way. Lee builds up both sides to reach the pinnacle and depending on what you feel for one or the other, it’s tough to pick a side. I’m not saying the Klan needed to kill people, but you can see Adam Driver’s character getting deeper and deeper, only to realize that these guys are crazy. It will make you laugh and wonder how demented these Klan people can really be. I just wanted to see what they would do next, while you wonder the whole time if the cop bubble will ever pop.
At the end of it all, there was so much extra stuff jammed into the story that they could have trimmed all of that out and had a better final product. This was supposed to be about the cops and the Klan, not some guy chasing a girl who is a rebel, or the racist cops he works with who never factor into the final solution.
Ana pointed out the movie was good all on its own, but before the final credits roll, Lee throws in modern-day rallies where people were killed and President Trump saying the Klan are fine people. There was absolutely no place for these scenes to be included in the movie because it achieved nothing. We all know race wars have been going on for centuries and there is no end in sight. If Lee wanted to use this film to send a message, he should have just let the film speak for itself. 5/10
Ten Stars or Less 