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ranked #86,213 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★☆
Strong 4 // Goes down easy but sits in the stomach like a rock
A genuinely disturbing exploration of racism in America disguised as buddy cop comedy. Don't let the trailers fool you, this is a fiercely political film that does not shy away from the horror of its central theme. And though I squirmed many more times than I laughed, BlacKkKlansman manages to entertain as much as it unsettles. Spike Lee smartly chose 70's blaxploitation as the framework for the film which enabled him to inject some levity into a subject that could've otherwise been harrowing and indigestible. With that framework, he has crafted a film which is equally playful and disquieting, one which is able to joke about the absurdity of racism in America all while impressing upon the viewer how far from a joke this really is. Some may call the ending cheap and sensationalist, but it undeniably pulls the rug out and forces you to simmer in the harshness of reality. It's a film that goes down easy only to linger in your stomach like a rock.
Strong 4/5
