A Spike Lee movie called Blackklansman likely goes one of two ways, the question at hand being: are we getting a film by the director Do the Right Thing, Miracle at St. Anna, When the Levees Broke, and 4 Little Girls, or something from the man behind Chi-raq and Inside Man? Any one of those (maybe not St. Anna) would do, but the pleasures at hand in the first preview for his Cannes-premiering, I guess it turns out, comedy are plentiful, and make me glad for the latter. Judging by first reactions, it’s a sign of things to come.
The very strange true story of a black detective, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who managed to infiltrate the KKK with careful deception, it’s (by the look of things) the sort of satire for which Lee’s prankster sensibilities might be especially well-attuned. Produced by Jordan Peele — who could be making socially conscious multiplex fare his new thing; let’s see what this and Us ultimately have to offer, but note the “America first” coursing through this trailer’s veins — and with Adam Driver, alongside Topher Grace as David Duke (!), co-starring, Blackklansman opens this summer after the festival bow; look for our review this week.
Watch below:
From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. It’s the early 1970s, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream. Produced by the team behind the Academy-Award® winning Get Out.
Blackklansman opens on August 10.