***/**** (3.5 stars)
In 1971, Ron Stallworth became the first black officer to join the Colorado Police Department. After making contact with the local Ku Klux Klan, he recruited a white officer to help him infiltrate the group and thwart their destructive plans.
Can some topics ever be funny? Perhaps I should rephrase the question: should some subjects ever be made into comedies? It's an emotive topic, and one that could (and probably has!) spark many a debate. From The Wipers Times of World War One Europe to Chris Morris' controversial Four Lions, the want to laugh at events or situations that scare or discomfort us is one that pops up again and again.
A film loaded with almost unbearable poignancy, Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman takes the terror instilled by the Ku Klux Klan and attempts to make it into something funny. It's a problematic set-up from the off, and the film battles with which tone to adopt throughout. Based on a true story, there is no doubt that the narrative is ludicrous, the very definition of 'stranger than fiction' - who would believe that a black man would voluntarily infiltrate the KKK? - but does that mean it's naturally a funny story? His motivations surely lay in protecting those of his colour from a dangerous, violent group who terrorised black communities. The character of Ron Stallworth is similarly uneven, with credit being owed to John David Washington for making the role into an empathetic one, although he is somewhat outshone by the scene-stealing Adam Driver (playing the 'white' Ron Stallworth).
There are a number of moments that are particularly uncomfortable, and none more so than the juxtaposition of the KKK and Black Student Union meetings. In the prior, the members ask for God to bless a white America and watch a horrendously racist silent movie, whooping and cheering throughout. In contrast, the students listen in horror as the story of a young black man's torture is recounted, aided by truly shocking photographs. It's a difficult, deeply unsettling sequence, made all the more bitter by the 'comic' asides from one black waiter. The main issue is that it's unclear whether we should be laughing at the KKK members or recoiling in disgust. One clan member in particular, Felix (Jasper Pääkköne) is too odious, too genuine in his hatred to be a 'joke' of a character, with his racist mantras and blatant manipulation of his wife leaving a sour taste in the mouth. Perhaps the real message of the film is that of the final sequence - the KKK is not a joke, and racism is still alive and kicking in Trump's America.
An undoubtedly important tale for the times, Spike Lee's latest brings some troubling, yet highly topical, themes to the screen in his outing. Hardly an enjoyable watch, owing to the subject matter and the problematic balancing of horror and humour, it nonetheless provides much to think about - and a film that makes the audience ponder and question what they have seen can never be a bad one.
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