Review #1,427: 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018)

Although he is still producing an impressive body of work, it feels like Spike Lee has been away from the mainstream for an age. When Jordan Peele brought him the unbelievably true story of Ron Stallworth, a black detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s, Lee jumped at the chance to tackle what would be his biggest joint since 2013's rather pointless Oldboy remake. If the movie didn't tell you as much at the introduction, you would likely have a difficult time believing that what you are seeing actually (well, kinda) happened. Based on Stallworth's memoir Black Klansman, Lee takes the story and successfully manipulates it into a commentary on racial hostility in the U.S. and its circular momentum throughout the country's history. Not only that, but BlacKkKlansman is also a funny police procedural that tips its outlandish hat to the blaxsploitation movies of the era.

Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) has just become the first black police officer in the Colorado Springs police department. He is eager to make a mark, but finds himself assigned to the records room, locating files for his racist co-workers. After making his desire to work undercover known to his superiors, Ron is tasked with infiltrating a rally involving civil rights leader Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins), where he meets Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier), the president of a black student union. Assigned to the intelligence division, Ron spots an advert in the paper for a KKK recruitment drive and, with his best white man voice, bags himself a meeting with Walter (Ryan Eggold), the president of the local chapter. His fellow officers are quick to point that not only did Ron give Walter his real name, he also happens to be black. Enter Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), the Jewish co-worker who takes the job of working his way into the ranks of the ever-suspicious Klan, while Ron does his part on the phone to try and land a conversation with Grand Wizard David Duke (Topher Grace).

BlacKkKlansman is certainly not without its flaws. Lee's desire to envelop Ron and Patrice's blossoming romance into the KKK's plan to carry out a terrorist attack leads to some glaring pacing issues, and an eagerness to hold up a mirror to the growing far-right attitudes of the Trump era can often be heavy-handed. Yet Lee's interesting style - mixing comedy with serious issues and often within the same scene - pulls you along for the ride, with the director showcasing a rarely-seen talent for suspense. Flip's assignment is fraught with problems, from the volatile and suspicious Klansman Felix (Jasper Paakkonen), to the fact that Ron's voice sounds oddly different on the phone to real life. Some of the supporting characters are perhaps a bit too cartoonish for the film's overall tone, the script from Lee, Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott, is incredibly sharp and witty without taking anything away from the seriousness of the underlying themes at play. Lee goes straight for the jugular, ending with shocking footage of the car attack at the 2017 Unite the Right rally to remind us of how little has changed, and how the threat never really went away. It isn't Lee's best work, but its one of his most vibrant and cinematic joints, and arguably his most ambitious.


Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, Jasper Pääkkönen, Ryan Eggold, Paul Walter Hauser, Corey Hawkins
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,225: 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' (2017)

Marvel fans rejoiced when the announcement was made that Cinematic Universe overseer Kevin Feige had managed to reclaim the movie rights to one of their most beloved and iconic characters, Spider-Man. Along with Bryan Singer's X-Men, Sam Raimi's Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man trilogy laid the foundations for the modern superhero movie and proved that comic-books aren't just for nerds. After constant meddling by Sony, Spider-Man 3 was a convoluted mess, and although it raked in the cash at the box-office, plans for a fourth instalment were put on ice. The plan was later scrapped entirely in favour of a reboot with Andrew Garfield, which was also cancelled after its sequel made the same mistakes that saw Raimi's Spider-Man 3 receive a critical mauling.

Marvel cast British actor Tom Holland in the role, and he was quickly heralded as the best Peter Parker yet when he debuted in last year's Captain America: Civil War, and Feige revealed that a standalone reboot was coming soon. The thought of a second reboot just 5 years after the last one naturally had people sceptical, but Holland's exciting cameo also raised hopes. While it certainly doesn't reach the lofty humanist heights of Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (still one of the best comic-book movies ever made), Homecoming - a title that works on two levels - is bloody good fun. Taking Parker all the way back to high school as an overeager 15 year old, with detention, hormones and the homecoming dance as much of a concern to our hero as the villain flying around with alien technology, the film shares just as much in common with the classic John Hughes movies of the 1980s than it does with anything starring Iron Man, Thor or the Hulk.

Having proved himself to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) by stealing Captain America's shield and helping topple Paul Rudd's Giant-Man during the events of Civil War, Peter Parker now waits eagerly by the phone for a call from Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan to announce his next mission. Only Stark would prefer that he remains a friendly, neighbourhood Spider-Man for the time being, but Parker's eagerness to prove himself and struggle to truly control his powers see him taking on hardened thugs and barely making it out alive. On top of juggling his new responsibilities (thankfully we are spared the Uncle Ben speech this time around), he awkwardly courts the pretty Liz (Laura Harrier), receives abuse from rich douchebag Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), and must prevent chubby best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) from revealing his superhero alter-ego to the rest of the school. Ned quite rightly believes that the revelation is their ticket to climb the high school cool hierarchy, and Liz naturally has a crush on her local masked vigilante.

A world away from Marvel's previous supervillain Ego the Living Planet (no pun intended), whose masterplan spanned the entire universe, Homecoming's big bad is in the form of working man Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton). Talking in a thick New York accent and favouring a baseball cap and a hoodie, Toomes is introduced cleaning up the mess left by Loki and his Chitauri army during the climax of 2012's The Avengers, only to watch as his contract is snatched away by Stark and his billions. He doesn't leave empty-handed though, as he manages to smuggle some alien technology away and form a lucrative, and highly illegal, arms business. He also has a formidable suit made for him, allowing him to soar through the sky on razor-sharp wings, dubbing him the Vulture. After a number of forgettable Marvel villains, Toomes brings to mind Alfred Molina's three-dimensional and incredibly sympathetic Doc Ock, and Keaton has fun with the role, proving a menacing presence during a particularly tense car journey on the way to the homecoming dance, in what is undoubtedly the film's standout moment.

The likes of Thor would be able to take out Toomes with the blink of an eye, but his family-first motivation and distrust of the rich and powerful ground the movie, and helps make Homecoming Marvel's smallest and most intimate entry since Ant-Man. While the climax does deliver a routine smash-em-up CGI fest that director Jon Watts doesn't seem experienced enough to handle, the film mainly avoids the usual superhero tropes and rarely shifts its focus away from Parker, who is played with irresistible charm and athleticism by Holland. There's an endearing playfulness in the smaller moments, particularly in the dynamic between Holland and scene-stealer Batalon. Having watched Watts's previous film Cop Car recently, it now seems obvious why Marvel placed so much trust in a director so clearly adept in handling young relationships. Homecoming continues the recent trend of proving that superhero movies don't necessarily need to be superhero movies: They can also be a high school comedy, or a violent western. Was a second reboot for a character only introduced to the big screen 15 years ago justified? Somehow, yes.


Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Zendaya, Tony Revolori
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie