After his disappointing rereading of Old Boy, Spike Lee returns with themes he knows like the back of his hand: the situation of African-Americans. For the occasion he brings together Adam Driver and the son of Denzel Washington in a funny and veracity historical buddy movie: Blackkklansman.
Spike Lee more impartial?
Generally, Spike Lee does not have his tongue in his pocket and takes direct sides with the Black Man. He is very proud of his origins as well as his skin color and proudly says it through his films. Very often, the black is the good guy and the white the bad guy, without any other form of trial. Do the right thing can attest to this. He even went so far as to accuse Quentin Tarantino of racism because of his slave fights in Django Unchained. In short, Spike Lee is not kidding. But this time, he seems more impartial than usual. Spike Lee opposes doctrines, peoples and visions of things. Of course he recalls how his skin brothers were discredited, mistreated in the professional world and decides to tell this story inspired by real facts of a black cop, in a 100% white police, who will try to infiltrate the Klux Klux Klan. The approach is ironic about this black policeman walking around and having to find a place in the middle of a racist police.
Yet this time his words are more measured, less violent, more assagized when he opposes the doctrine of the KKK to that of the Black Panthers. His character, perfectly interpreted by Washington, embodies impartiality. He tries to make things happen through non-violence, through justice, like a modern-day superhero while around him the extremes are organized, ready to embark on a race war. Spike Lee has rarely been so impartial in opposing these two organizations with diametrically opposed goals, but very similar violent techniques. He contrasts this indoctrination one way or the other with convincing tribunes. It opposes these two struggles led by violence. It opposes the KKK and the Black Panthers and brings them closer together thanks to its intelligent editing: violence leads to violence, regardless of the leader who preaches it. Blackkklansman tells this situation, these individuals indoctrinated in a cult on one side or the other, he tells this tense context, with this character, strong and impartial, who tries to preach justice with non-violence. With a sometimes very humorous contribution, Spike Lee returns to a whole section of America, until this last shot, stunning, of this American flag that withers.
A lighter staging
Yet, despite his serious and serious subject, Spike Lee chooses a humorous approach. The film has its dramatic stakes, but never falls into pathos or one-upmanship and is content to have a light approach to the subject. The characters are funny, buddy movie in power between Washington and the excellent Adam Driver. The situations are worth seeing when Spike Lee openly does not care about the mouths of white people. Blackkklansman brings its share of laughter and fascination in front of this half-comic, half-dramatic approach.
With this approach, Spike Lee seeks to reach a wide audience, to convert as many people as possible to his cause, to talk about a serious subject to as many people as possible. Blackkklansman is successful in every way: a rhythmic and effective staging, a stunning duo of actors, an image quality worked with a grain of time, a superb photography and above all a perfectly mastered editing. The feature film is funny and edifying in its veracity in relation to the story it wants to tell. As with Do the right thing, Spike Lee prefers to have an ironic and virulent look rather than treat his story with tears and pathos. With a mischievous smile at the corner of his lips, the filmmaker tells his story, tackles Trump's America in passing and offers once again a work that defends the condition of blacks against white hegemony. Well done Spike Lee.
Blackkklansman is a perfectly mastered film. A rhythmic staging, a funny and ironic style, for a subject with a very strong social context. Spike Lee strikes very well with this comic approach to such a dramatic subject.
