Universal Pictures advertises in the UK, through a 30-second spot, the upcoming film BlacKkKlansman, which tells the incredible true story of an American hero and “offers an unflinching, true-life examination of race relations in 1970s America that is just as bracingly relevant in today’s tumultuous world”.
From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee, the film is set in the early 1970s, in a time of great social upheaval as the struggle for civil rights rages on, and revolves around Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who becomes the first African-American detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department. His arrival is greeted with skepticism and open hostility by the department’s rank and file, which makes Stallworth eager to make a name for himself and a difference in his community. He also sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.
According to the official synopsis, Stallworth, who poses as a racist extremist, “contacts the group and soon finds himself invited into its inner circle. He even cultivates a relationship with the Klan’s Grand Wizard, David Duke (Topher Grace), who praises Ron’s commitment to the advancement of White America”. Adam Driver plays Flip Zimmerman, Stallworth’s colleague who “poses as Ron in face-to-face meetings with members of hate group, gaining insider’s knowledge of a deadly plot”. “Stallworth and Zimmerman team up to take down the organization whose real aim is to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream”.
Serving as the soundtrack to the TV spot is the 1970 hit single “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)” by American vocal group The Temptations.
BlacKkKlansman is set to open in cinemas this month, August 24.
