Watch the Wild Trailer for “BlackkKlansman”

By Kip Mooney • On • In Trailer Trailer 0

Ron Stallworth, an African-American cop who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the '70s, has one of the most fascinating life stories. A film has been rumored for decades, with Denzel Washington pegged for the lead role. But now it's 2018, and his son John David Washington (HBO's Ballers) has filled those shoes, with Spike Lee stepping behind the camera, and Jordan Peele (Get Out) producing. It's a perfect match of project and filmmakers.

The first trailer wastes no time dropping the hammer, as Stallworth calls up David Duke (played by Topher Grace, in a genius bit of casting) and immediately launches into a faux-racist tirade to gain his trust. Stallworth brings in his Jewish partner Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) to play Stallworth at KKK meetings to learn about attacks the hate group is planning.

BlackkKlansman (styled with an extra 'k' in the middle) premiered at Cannes this week to mixed reviews. But that's to be expected with a filmmaker as potent but inconsistent as Spike Lee, who most recently made the messy but brilliant Lysistrata-in-Chicago Chi-Raq and has had much more success with documentaries as of late. But with its (sadly) timely subject matter, the film might be Lee's biggest hit since Inside Man.

Black Klansman hits theaters Friday, August 10.

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About Kip Mooney

Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.

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