“You can feel the fire and rage in Spike Lee’s veins in more than a few scenes, and especially during the last five minutes when Lee recalls the venality of last year’s ‘Unite the Right‘ really in Charlottesville, which ended with the death of protestor Heather Heyer, and reminds that Donald Trump showed who and what he is with his non-judgmental assessment of the KKK-minded demonstrators. Lee paints Trump with the racist brush that he completely deserves, and it makes for a seriously pumped-up finale.” — from my 5.14.18 review, “Lee’s Klansman Busts Trump Like A Bitch.”

“Trump, of course, knows the game he’s playing: The refusal to condemn, which he repeated at his recent press conference keyed to the anniversary of the Charlottesville riots, equals a wink of endorsement. It’s that simple. Anyone who now denies that we have David Duke in the White House is either lying, not seeing reality, or not minding it.” — from Owen Gleiberman‘s 8.12 Variety essay, “No Film Has Channeled the Hateful Pulse of Our Moment Like Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.”