BlacKkKlansman Review

BlacKkKlansman is pretty good. Some parts drag a little, and it needed to cut a bit of the fat. The runtime is a little over two hours, and if they’d cut it to about two hours flat, I think it would have been sharper. It’s not one long lull; some scenes just go too long, and a couple could have been cut altogether.

The good: John David Washington does a great job playing what is basically two characters. It’s based on a true story, and I looked at the book Ron Stallworth wrote. The fact that he pulled off these dual roles without anyone realizing it was the same person is ridiculous. Spike Lee is hit or miss for me; some films he does really well, and others are too much and need to be dialed back. This one feels like a good representation of the book and the true story.

I also forgot to mention one of the best parts in my audio: Topher Grace is amazing as David Duke. I read that he had to step back from the role for a moment because the character was too much for him, and I like that kind of commitment to the craft. Even though he wasn’t a great Venom, most of his roles have been solid, and this is one of his best. He really transforms into Duke, and the side-by-side pictures look surprisingly close.

The bad: besides the runtime, the language is very harsh, almost a free-for-all at points, and it got uncomfortable. If that’s what it was going for, it did its job, but I think it could have been dialed back a little.

Listen to My Audio Review

BlacKkKlansman (2018) Cast and Details

BlacKkKlansman (2018) is directed by Spike Lee and stars John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace. It runs 135 minutes and is rated R. You can look up the full cast and crew on IMDb. You might also like my Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again review.