Colorado Springs detective Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington) sees an ad in the newspaper for the KKK. He calls the telephone number, and ends up infiltrating the infamous organization (even going so far as to become a member). Because Stallworth himself is black, a fellow police officer (played by Adam Driver) impersonates Stallworth in real life. The investigation is meant to expose the organization as they are currently (circa 1970s) trying to sanitize themselves and become more mainstream. This idea is something that is completely insane, and is completely true. Amid Stallworth's investigation he develops an over the phone relationship with the grand wizard of the Klan, David Duke (played by Topher Grace), as well as the man who runs the Colorado Springs branch of the Klan, named Walter (played by Ryan Eggold). Stallworth also develops a budding relationship with an outspoken activist (played Laura Harrier). The movie has very heavy political message. I don't know if I necessarily agreed with everything that was said, but I also understood where Lee (and the overall story) was coming from. That said, this is an incredible movie. Acting-wise, everyone brings their A-game. John David Washington shows a lot of his father's level of talent, and even channels his mannerisms at several points in the film. Topher Grace is excellent as the grand wizard of the Klan, expertly showing that the man is stout in his beliefs. There are a lot of humorous moments in this movie that is otherwise a drama, and they could have easily come off as tonally jumbled, but I think Lee handles them in just the right way. The very end of the film could be off-putting for some, but I do think it helps show that racism is still very much an issue, and probably won't go away anytime soon. This is a movie I recommend watching. It's a really good flick, even of some of the modern political references can be a little jarring, and not entirely needed.
9 / 10
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