BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee's Blackklansman is a well made film, contains some compelling characters, and tells an interesting story.  For most filmmakers this would be enough, but Spike Lee seems intent on making it clear that Blackkklansman is a poignant and important film too, which it is not.  I went into the film under the impression that it would be the story of a black man somehow infiltrating the KKK, which I found fascinating because I'm sure that would be frowned upon by the majority of members...  It turns out that a black police officer did infiltrate the KKK, albeit over the phone, and one of his white counterparts handled all the face-to-face meetings.  This was pretty clever, and the situation lends itself to many humorous (and sometimes sad) phone conversations between the KKK grand wizard and the black police officer.  Ultimately it's the white police officer who is risking life and limb, but the film isn't so much about bravery as it is about exposing how deeply racism is rooted in American society.  At its heart, this is a film about two police officers who, regardless of race, are committed to making their city a better place.

If the film had ended there, so would my review, and it would have been overwhelmingly positive.  Instead, Spike Lee jumps forward 40+ years to a white supremacist rally, showing footage of the incident where a white man drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing a 32 year old woman, and injuring many other people.  Does Lee include this clip to remind us that there is still racial tension in this country?  Does Lee feel as though its his moral duty to convey a serious message in a film that otherwise could be simply seen as entertainment?  As I ask these questions, I realize that I don't really have an issue with Lee's approach; after all it is his film.  Maybe more films should have a closing statement, something thought provoking to make the 2-hour runtime a little worthwhile.