Fresh off a world premiere at Cannes that reportedly earned an eight-minute standing ovation from French film goers, Spike Lee has gifted unto us all the trailer for BlacKkKlansman, a flick which looms as his most promising effort in eons.
Lee’s new film is showing in competition for the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, the first time the famed director has vied for the title since 1991’s Jungle Fever.
This newest joint takes a wild real-life story and puts a signature Spike Lee spin on things. Loosely following the story of real-life cop Ron Stallworth, a black detective in the 70s who managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, BlacKkKlansman reportedly features a few thinly-veiled allusions to Trumpism and even splices in actual footage from the Charlottesville race riots.
John David Washington – that’s Denzel’s boy for those of you playing at home – stars as Stallworth, the black cop assigned to a post in Colorado Springs who plans to take down the local chapter of the KKK from the inside.
Alongside Washington, the film counts Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, and Topher Grace (playing infamous KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, if you don’t mind) among its cast.
The trailer is a wild ride, with all things pointing towards this one ruling.
If the cast and trailer weren’t enough by themselves, Jordan Peele serves as a producer on the flick. So, y’know, there’s that too.
The film is scheduled for release in the United States on August 10th.
It’s scheduled to screen as part of this year’s Sydney Film Festival in early June.
