Regie:
Spike LeeCamera:
Chayse IrvinMuziek:
Terence BlanchardActeurs:
John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier, Jasper Pääkkönen, Michael Buscemi, Ryan Eggold, Paul Walter Hauser, Corey Hawkins (meer)Streaming (2)
Samenvattingen(1)
Deze politieman uit Colorado Springs slaagde er als eerste Afro-Amerikaanse agent in om te infiltreren in de Ku Klux Klan. Detective Stallworth (John David Washington) en zijn partner Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) wisten tot in de hoogste kringen van de KKK binnen te dringen. Hun doel was de plannen van deze geheime, extremistische organisatie om de macht over te nemen in de stad, te dwarsbomen. (Universal Pictures International Netherlands)
(meer)Recensie (15)
If anyone has the right to sharply rephrase the problems of the contemporary US, it’s undoubtedly Spike Lee, who was probably addressing aspects of multicultural coexistence in the States when he was in the cradle. BlacKkKlansman is probably the worst contribution to his extensive catalogue of those I've seen, but fortunately it still rests on his characteristic trademarks, my favorite of which is always the dynamic and chatty depiction of a beleaguered police family, who most of the time seem to have stepped out of a stand-up routine. This again wins an A or B, depending on who grades the final exam. The problem comes in when the double-identity hard-ass blaxploitation detective story starts juggling ultra-serious connotations to current events, which in this case feels like a hot dog with whipped cream and still makes you want to throw a cup of beer in the theater, giggling "hihihi that was a Trump reference". In fact, unlike his previous works, Angry Lee is no longer capable of the detachment on certain subjects so typical of his previous works. This new approach culminates in a scene that cuts between a KKK bar mitzvah and an old man's recollection of black lynchings at the beginning of the century. It's as if someone has suddenly become frightened that he's been making fun of people who we should realize how dangerous they are. Except I just think the worst thing you can do to dangerous people is indeed to make fun of them. Then they get angry, kick their feet, do bigger and bigger things, and then wake up one morning and find they're not even taken seriously by their own slippers. Thus, unfortunately, the film's strongest moment is its painful epilogue, which is sure to activate a cavalry of pundits who will spout wisecracks like how they think film and politics shouldn't be mixed together and other such bullshit. Just you wait.
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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]
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Previously it would have been a biographical drama or a heist film, but to express his political viewpoint this time, Spike Lee uses and reworks for his own needs the conventions of cop films about dual identity. The obstacles that the heroes have to overcome in accomplishing their mission come not only from the outside, but also in the form of their colleagues and superiors, who are unable to let go of their own prejudices and represent a system that disadvantages a certain part of the population. The pairing of two disparate characters serves for more than just creating comical situations that bring levity to a serious topic. It is also a condition for the implementation of Stallworth’s bold plan and, at the same time, expression of the film’s central conviction that the path to success is conditioned by cooperation, the struggle for shared values (though each one is completely different, they appear before the KKK members as one person), which can also be understood as a disputation with blaxploitation films, whose style BlacKkKlansman imitates. ___ The two protagonists start to think more about their respective identities following confrontations with white nationalists, who see them, as a black and a Jew, as a threat comparable to the plague and cholera. For example, in reply to the question of whether he is a Jew, Zimmerman initially answers “I don't know”. He later admits that, because of assimilation, he had never thought about his Jewishness, but he is now beginning to reconsider his position. Like his partner, he stops taking his infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan as nothing more than a job, as it becomes a personal matter for him. While Stallworth stops running away from the fact that he is black, Flip begins to proudly defend his Jewishness “thanks” to a group of anti-Semitic imbeciles. ___ Racists legitimise their words and actions by creating artificial enemies and spreading fear of a race war or the Jewish-Bolshevik conspiracy. Their vocabulary plays a fundamental role in this, though it does not have any sort of richness and displays an elementary ignorance of grammar, but it is also expressive enough to elicit strong emotions and attract unthinking crowds. Emotions replace the ability to work with facts and to argue more thoughtfully. One of the bigots reveals the absence of elementary logic in his attitudes when Flip warns him that it is nonsensical to deny the Holocaust, during which several million Jews were murdered and was thus the most amazing event in history from a white Nazi’s perspective. Within the KKK, relationships are established exclusively on the basis of shared hatred. Joining the organisation is conditioned by knowledge of the hate code (various terms of abuse for anyone who is not a white heterosexual American). However, it is necessary to make the language of this closed group widely known, for example with the aid of Hollywood epics such as The Birth of a Nation. ___ The wave of racially motivated violence in the 1970s was a backlash to some of the minor victories achieved by African-Americans in the previous decade. Similarly, the strengthening position of the extreme right in America today, stoked by the statements of the sociopath whom Spike Lee calls the “Orange motherfucker” and “Agent Orange”, can be seen as “retaliation” for the eight years of the Barack Obama administration. Lee’s film is permeated by parallels with current events in the United States and Europe. Even without the shocking postscript, it would be clear that, as in his earlier films, Lee used a historical theme to draw attention to the persistent intolerance of certain social groups. Though the style changes, the essence remains and the world will continue to need many heroes like Ron Stallworth and Heather Heyer. BlacKkKlansman says as much, perhaps without much nuance, but urgently enough to open the eyes of at least a few people who do not yet have totally whitewashed brains. 90%
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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.
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Campaigner Spike Lee is this time (traditionally) a hindrance to filmmaker Spike Lee. And so a good film is clearly ruined by not being satisfied with the hints that are not said between the lines and the viewer's intelligence, but has (traditionally) a need to say everything on its mind and what timeless parallels it wants to outline. And so here and there the characters recite, here and there documentary shots from the present, etc. are incorporated here. However, which (this time) is clearly annoying, because in the core of the film it is all that way anyway. In addition, very nice in terms of keeping on top of things view and from filmmaking as well as acting point of view.
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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%
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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.
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A racist African-American picture based on an incredible true story. Although Spike Lee slightly bungled the dramaturgy and reveals details that are unnecessary for the plot, it’s bearable. The acting performances are excellent, especially Driver as the cop who risks his neck and the great young Washington, who knows how to come across as polite and pissed off all at once.
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Certainly a good crime story with a commendable overlap and the perfect Adam Driver - John David Washington pair (I can't even believe it's the same actor from Tenet), but I was kind of waiting for more to happen. Especially in the end, where the director had to help himself with contemporary footage to make it more impressive. Of course, those shots give you chills, there's no denying that, but did they really have to be there? Wasn't it possible to do it some other way, possibly compounded within the story of Stallworth and “Stallworth"?
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Spike Lee is an extremist, and also a big asshole. BlacKkKlansman is a film with a humour so black that it could pick cotton in the fields of Birth of a Nation; it pushes political incorrectness to the limit and works very smartly with the development of the two lead characters, who first must pretend they are one, in order to really become one in the end. There are moments that are packed with ideas and satirical jokes, but also others when its formally artificial and lacking credibility, but Spike compensates that with the use of archive footage and explicit allusions at Trump. In any case, heavy-hitting quality that, thanks mainly to the dynamic narration and the amazing actors, never falls into a sterility that it obviously fears like the Devil fears the cross. 80%
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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]
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Spike Lee has crafted a film that's going to be talked about for a long time, leaving a significant mark on its viewers. While it didn't impact me quite as much as 25th Hour, it's undeniably a crucial film. From the trailer alone, I knew this was going to be a high-quality film, heavy on the dialogue, and it certainly delivered. The movie doesn't hold back, bombarding you with a barrage of insults — mainly targeting Black people and Jews — while maintaining the gravity of its powerful story. Some of the dialogue even reminded me of Quentin Tarantino's style, blending absurd humor, sharp wit, and drama seamlessly. I did worry that Spike Lee might overdo it with commentary on today's political climate, particularly the Trump era. For most of the film, I felt he struck the right balance, weaving in subtle jabs and clever remarks within the dialogue. However, the ending, featuring real footage from the events in Charlottesville, felt a bit heavy-handed. I understand Lee's need to underline the film's relevance and its message in today's context, but to me, it felt forced and somewhat compromised the film's otherwise solid storytelling. The subject matter is inherently powerful and timeless. One standout scene involves a Black veteran recounting the lynching of a wrongly convicted Black man in 1916, drawing connections to the racist film The Birth of a Nation. This scene alone is chilling and impactful, clearly conveying Lee's message. The film's strong political statement might resonate differently with each viewer, but for me, it somewhat detracted from an otherwise brilliant film. #CommonSenseMatters
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Spike Lee managed to achieve something which others had failed at. He presented the issue of human rights in the black and white United States in a fun, witty way without unnecessary pathos. Well, there was some in the final documentary footage, but I managed to get over it. John David Washington was excellent, I liked the retro vibe (the afros were perfect), I had fun all along, and it didn't even occur to me that two hours had passed.
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The biggest achievement of this film is that it shows the gluttony and danger of "force" on both sides. In fact, it chilled me just the same whether it was shouting "white power" or "black power". The typecasting of rural South America, focusing on washed-up hardcore racist rednecks, is truly magnificent here, plus some of the comic situations made me laugh out loud a lot. Too bad about the last few minutes, in which Spike Lee leans horribly cheaply to what is for him the "right side". To some extent it devalues the whole film, which is probably what I regretted the most, because otherwise it's pure filmmaking at its best. It just needed a little more detachment at the end.
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Spike Lee seems like the type of person who tells you a great joke only to kill it immediately by explaining it to you, thinking you didn't get it. It’s barely tolerable the first time someone does it. If it’s the twentieth time, it gets downright annoying, and you feel like telling that person to give it a rest. The same could be said of BlacKkKlansman. It is relaxing and even funny, but it completely underestimates the viewers' intelligence. As if strongly pointing to the clash of different viewpoints wasn’t enough, it was necessary to use the actual footage from recent events. It would have worked somewhere else, but here it seemed completely redundant given the whole plot - not because it didn’t have anything to say, but because anyone who can put two and two together would have already picked up on those parallels while watching the movie.
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