BlacKkKlansman first reactions: Critics call Spike Lee’s latest his 'most entertaining and commercial film'

Spike Lee, whose new film BlacKkKlansman premiered at Cannes Film Festival 2018 on Monday, enjoyed a warm reception at the film festival. The film is based on a true story of a black police officer in Colorado who infiltrated the Klu Klux Klan.

Spike Lee has captivated audiences for more than 30 years with his depictions of life in black America, infused with his signature mix of entertainment, activism and rage. And his latest, starring John David Washington, Adam Driver and Topher Grace, received a standing ovation at the festival. The early reviews too have mostly been glowing for the crime drama.

Here’s what the critics had to say:

Variety’s Peter Debruge said , “Lee’s latest is as much a compelling black empowerment story as it is an electrifying commentary on the problems of African-American representation across more than a century of cinema.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy called the film , “Spike Lee’s most flat-out entertaining film in quite a long time, as well as his most commercial.”

Vulture’s Emily Yoshida said , “BlacKkKlansman is a nuanced story of race in America, but Lee doesn’t take any chances with vagueness or ellipses, nor should he. As much as BlacKkKlansman plays with the mechanics of blaxploitation fantasy, it doesn’t leave one with any question about what’s real.”

IndieWire’s David Ehrlich said the movie “feels like the start of a franchise.”

Screen Daily’s Tim Grierson said : “It’s no surprise that director Spike Lee prefers a hammer to a scalpel for this real-life drama, but his righteous fury is supplemented with a mature thoughtfulness that gives the proceedings the grim weight of history.”

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw was less receptive to the film, saying : “It’s an entertaining spectacle but the brilliant tonal balance in something like Jordan Peele’s satire Get Out leaves this looking a little exposed.”

With inputs from agencies