BlacKkKlansman (2018) - Speak and stand up for civil rights - 9/10 (20/11/18)

Based upon true events, BlacKkKlansman tells the story of Colorado Springs' first African American police officer who spontaneously calls the local Ku Klux Klan branch and pretends to be interested in joining the group. The white supremacist group falls for his trick and members of the local branch propose to meet him in person. The African American police officer teams up with a Jewish coworker who inflitrates the group in his own stead. As civil rights activists become unsettled in the city and clash with the local Ku Klux Klan branch that prepares for their Grand Wizard's visit, the two police officers must keep the population save and prevent a dangerous bomb plot.

The movie convinces for numerous reasons. First of all, it's based upon true events yet tells a very improbable story. Secondly, the characters are authentic, diversified and intriguing. Thirdly, the actresses and actors did expert jobs and play their roles with conviction, energy and wit. Fourthly, the films truly reincarnates the spirit of the early seventies in the way people were dressed and talked but it also respects cultural and political circumstances that give the film the vibe of a documentary at times. Fifthly, the film doesn't only include documentary segments but is also an adventurous mixture of a tense crime film and an emotive drama. Sixthly, even though the movie has a clear message, it isn't too judgemental and shows that some civil rights activists are as radical as their opponents. Seventhly, the film has a strong message: racism isn't acceptable under any circumstances. Eighthly, the film has a connection to the present, showing how civil rights activists still get attacked by white supremacists in present-day United States of America while the President of the United States of America fails to address the issue properly and attempt to solve it. Ninethly, the movie is filmed with care in form of calm and precise camera work and a lack of special effects to give it a more authentic vibe.

You can watch BlackKklansman for many reasons. It certainly portrays an intriguing if horrifying part of the history of the United States of America. It's a gripping drama with credible characters. It's a thriller that becomes more and more intense and literally ends with a bang. Most importantly however, this movie makes you think about civil rights and racism in the United States of America. Even though the overall situation has improved since the early seventies when the movie takes place, some issues have always remained present and have even become more critical over the past few years. BlacKkKlansman shows what the United States of America really are: a divided country torn between progression and regression. With its intense epilogue that offers a clear statement after the main part of the movie was mostly neutral, BlacKkKlansman invites to speak and stand up for civil rights. If you're a true American, this is what you ought to do. If you're not, take the film as a dynamic mixture between entertainment and lesson that offers some food for thought.