A review by Brooks Rich
I was surprised this film didn't win Best Picture and lost out to the far inferior Green Book. I think this is Spike's best film in years and one of his most fun watches, despite the heavy subject matter when it comes to the Klan. He still treats the Klan as the villains they are but he's aware of the somewhat absurdity of the situation, a black cop posing as a white supremacist.
John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, who in 1972 becomes the first black officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department. One day on a whim he contacts KKK leader David Duke through an ad in the newspaper and strikes up a repor with him. Seeing that they have an in with the Klan, Stallworth leads an operation where they put a man undercover. Of course they need a white cop so they enlist fellow officer Philip "Flip" Zimmerman, played by Adam Driver, who continues on his quest of becoming the most interesting man in Hollywood.
Like I said this film is a fun watch. It's fascinating to watch Ron and Flip to plan the undercover operation and pull it off. There's genuine moments of suspense while Flip is undercover as he is welcomed warmly by some and treated with suspicion by others. There's also a fantastic scene later on in the film when Ron meets David Duke face to face, as Ron is forced to be the police presence for the Klan during an event they hold at a hotel. It's one of the most tense scenes in the film and will have you cringing from suspense and anger. I also have to give props to the brilliantly disturbing scene where Ron is in the room when the Klan cheer during a screening of Birth of a Nation. For those who don't know, Birth of a Nation is a deeply vile and racist film. Sure it's important as a part of film history, a lot of innovative techniques where invented during the making of the film, but it's also gross. Don't watch it.
If for some reason you missed this film, please fix that immediately. It's completely worth your time and it's a fascinating story. I don't know if I rank this film up there with Spike's true masterpiece, Malcolm X, but it is a fantastic film and deserved more accolades than it received.
I was surprised this film didn't win Best Picture and lost out to the far inferior Green Book. I think this is Spike's best film in years and one of his most fun watches, despite the heavy subject matter when it comes to the Klan. He still treats the Klan as the villains they are but he's aware of the somewhat absurdity of the situation, a black cop posing as a white supremacist.
John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, who in 1972 becomes the first black officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department. One day on a whim he contacts KKK leader David Duke through an ad in the newspaper and strikes up a repor with him. Seeing that they have an in with the Klan, Stallworth leads an operation where they put a man undercover. Of course they need a white cop so they enlist fellow officer Philip "Flip" Zimmerman, played by Adam Driver, who continues on his quest of becoming the most interesting man in Hollywood.
Like I said this film is a fun watch. It's fascinating to watch Ron and Flip to plan the undercover operation and pull it off. There's genuine moments of suspense while Flip is undercover as he is welcomed warmly by some and treated with suspicion by others. There's also a fantastic scene later on in the film when Ron meets David Duke face to face, as Ron is forced to be the police presence for the Klan during an event they hold at a hotel. It's one of the most tense scenes in the film and will have you cringing from suspense and anger. I also have to give props to the brilliantly disturbing scene where Ron is in the room when the Klan cheer during a screening of Birth of a Nation. For those who don't know, Birth of a Nation is a deeply vile and racist film. Sure it's important as a part of film history, a lot of innovative techniques where invented during the making of the film, but it's also gross. Don't watch it.
If for some reason you missed this film, please fix that immediately. It's completely worth your time and it's a fascinating story. I don't know if I rank this film up there with Spike's true masterpiece, Malcolm X, but it is a fantastic film and deserved more accolades than it received.
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