Blackkklansman

After about a decade where his films have slipped out of the cultural mainstream, Spike Lee returns to prominence in a major way (he hasn't exactly been idling - he has 12 films and 7 TV credits since his last wide release, 2006's "Inside Man", but for one reason and another none of his work in the last decade and a bit has really gotten out into the wider culture). And this reminds us he's still a major force - he's never been a director to hold back, and this is a film that has a little bit of everything-and-the-kitchen-sink as it portrays the story of a black cop infiltrating the Klu Klux Klan in the 1970s. But there's few directors I'd be willing to follow on a polemic as much as I would Lee - his mastery of montage, of knowing when to hit hard and when to be ridiculous, when to enjoy himself and when to play serious, means this is an engrossing examination of US racial politics. He plays bait-and-switch masterfully - just when we're believing the Klan is a ludicrous historical mistake, he brings everything back to the contemporary world with incisive skill. It's great to have him back ripping into the mainstream with dynamism and skill. He's a voice modern film very much needs, and the best place for him to be is right in every cinema everywhere.