In 1972, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) becomes the first African-American officer in the Colorado Springs Police Force. He wants to go undercover, but he's assigned to the records room. His condescending superior officer, Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke), sends him undercover to spy on a rally by pioneering Black Power activist Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins). It goes off without a hitch. He even meets and falls for student power activist Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier).
Stallworth sees an ad for the Ku Klux Klan. He gives them a call, posing as an extremely racist white man, and is understandably surprised when he's called back. Now he has to meet them in person. His white partner, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), puts on a reasonable impression of his voice and plays his stand-in. "Ron Stallworth" impresses the Klan with his over-the-top bigotry, while Ron Stallworth surveys the meetings. They even get the attention of David Duke (Topher Grace), the Grand Wizard himself. They'll have to stop the Klan from carrying out a terrorist attack on a civil rights rally.
The film opens as Dr. Kennebrew Beauregard (Alec Baldwin) fumbles through a "white superiority" speech. It's a way to take these racists down a peg. You'll laugh and cringe at the over-the-top bigotry the Klan and "Ron Stallworth" display. The film's Klansmen include the idiotic Ivanhoe (Paul Walter Hauser) and the psychotic Felix Kendrickson (Jasper Pääkkönen). A few lines are purposefully ironic given recent events. It even ends with footage of last year's Charlottesville rally and its aftermath. It's a dark reminder that racism hasn't really gone away.
Washington is as great a screen presence as his father, Denzel. Stallworth is a good man trying to change the system from within. He wins over the audience with his determination and quick wit. His romance with Patrice presents a compelling dilemma. They're great together and her discovery of the truth drives them apart. We're rightfully outraged as crooked cop Landers (Frederick Weller) antagonizes Ron and cheer when he's busted. His denunciation of Duke was another hilarious and awesome moment. And after all those highs, the abrupt end of his operation is a bummer.
Driver is also great as Flip Zimmerman and "Ron Stallworth." We buy his "Ron Stallworth" act even if he's not a 100% imitation of Stallworth. We're on edge as he nearly gets exposed as a cop or Jewish several times. We empathize as he learns to work out of his comfort zone and become friends with Stallworth.
There's never a dull moment here. We're on edge as editor Barry Alexander Brown builds tension and laughs. One powerful moment sees "Ron Stallworth" inducted into the Klan, while Ron Stallworth listens to activist Jerome Turner (Harry Belafonte) tell an utterly horrifying story of vigilante justice. Felix's first attempt to expose Flip is tense, and we're relieved when Stallworth's quick wit saves the day. The climactic rush to stop the terror attack is a memorable movie moment.
BlacKkKlansman is one of the best films of the year. It's a tense, funny, powerful story of a man who took on the Klan and pretty much won. It sticks with us long after the movie ends. It's a movie I'm eager to see on home release. It deserves whatever praise comes its way.
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