Three decades ago, we watched as Mookie threw a trash can through the window of Sal's Pizzeria in "Do the Right Thing". It was Spike Lee's 3rd feature film and it became one of the most talked about and defining moments in the film and in some regards, Lee's career as a whole. Many years later, audiences are still split as to whether, to use the film's own title, Mookie did the right thing. But whichever side you landed on, this scene of heightened racial tensions established Lee as a filmmaker unafraid to confront the unsavory legacy of America's checkered past.
Fast forward to 2018 and I couldn't help but think of "Do the Right Thing" as another character breaks a window in his latest film "BlacKkKlansman". In this scene, the men involved are a black detective named Ron Stallworth and his Jewish partner Flip Zimmerman, who is being interrogated by a vehemently racist member of the Ku Klux Klan. The detectives are working undercover on a daring mission to infiltrate the KKK, with Stallworth impersonating a white-sounding man over the phone, who is presented as Zimmerman in the field. With their true identities under threat of being revealed, the scene sees Stallworth breaking a window to dissipate the tension. But this won't be the only nerve-wracking moment in the film, as the men put their lives in danger in a race against the clock to stop the KKK's next terrorist attack.
The inherent miracle of the story and the protagonists' bravery are indeed what makes "BlacKkKlansman" compelling. The script - a surefire Oscar contender for Best Adapted Screenplay - effectively balances some anxiety-inducing close calls with frequent humorous scenes inspired by the sheer audacity of the mission and the narrow-minded psychology of the antagonists. As such, it functions as both an amusing satire and a stirring period piece (with all the cool threads and afros to match).
Dealing with such sensitive subject matter as the notoriously evil KKK is a risky gamble and admittedly, Lee does falter with a few excessively comic moments. Thankfully, John David Washington's confident performance always keeps the film afloat. Displaying much of his father Denzel's charisma, he could potentially follow in his footsteps as an Oscar nominee for Best Actor. Furthermore, Adam Driver should be in the discussion for Best Supporting Actor, as his character adds thought-provoking dimensions to the film. His reckoning with this Jewish identity is one of the film's highlights.
Overall, "BlacKkKlansman" represents one of Lee's most restrained directorial efforts. But that's not to say that he's getting soft with age. Indeed, his confrontational voice is unmistakable in the film's prologue and conclusion. The former shows Alec Baldwin spewing propagandist hate speech as a character clearly intended as a parody of Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the closing moments are true masterstroke that will likely seal long overdue Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.Using sobering real-life footage of the present-day KKK to hit home the film's themes, it proves that Spike Lee remains one of the most essential voices in cinema, sticking it to the man like only he can.
