An African American director and screenwriter.
In the last few years, Spike Lee has had a good run. After getting an Honorary Oscar in 2016 for his work, he also finally won a screenwriting Oscar for Blackkklansman in 2019, which turned out to be one of his most successful films. But there are many other great films he made in his career, so here's a look at a few of them.
Something that is very dominant in Spike Lee's work is the topic of African American Rights. This is reflected in some of his most successful films, but also in his many other projects, including documentaries, short films and also producing. The films above:
*Do the Right Thing (1989), a hot day on the streets of Brooklyn causes some issues
*Malcolm X (1992), a biography of the Civil Right leader
*Inside Man (2006), a great heist in which police and robber play games
*Blackkklansman (2018), the true story of a black policeman who infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan
Despite having some things in common - such as actor Denzel Washington, and then later his son John David Washington, or topics dealing with suppression and injustice - these four films show the diversity of Lee. Inside Man, for example, is a very smart fictional story between an action film and a comedy, while Malcolm X is a very serious drama based on a true story, dealing with a historically crucial figure in America.
Blackkklansman, my favourite of the four, is an especially interesting combination of genres. The basis is so absurd that it's difficult to believe at first that this is based on reality. The fact that a black man managed to infiltrate the KKK is amazing, and this basis leads to many threatening as well as funny scenes. At the same time, the issue is of course very serious, and Spike Lee manages to connect the historical facts with the urgency of the situation today in an unsettling way.
John David Washington gives a great performance as the protagonist, Ron Stallworth, and is supported by Adam Driver, Topher Grace and Laura Harrier.
(Images: IMDB)