Ron Stallworth was a Black Colorado Springs police officer who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, going so far as to speak with David Duke on several occasions. Stallworth’s undercover police work, aided by an immeasurable assist from his white partner, Flip Zimmerman (so well played by Adam Driver), helped expose and quash an attack on Black activists. There you have it in a nutshell, but the telling and unfolding of the story is so well done.
Stallworth (played by Denzel Washington's son) broke the color barrier himself. As he approached the Colorado Springs Police Department building, the camera hangs above him as he walks into frame. His job interview serves as his first quiz and a view into his future. “We’ve never had a Black police officer,” Stallworth is told. “So you’ll be the Jackie Robinson of the Colorado Springs police department.” This analogy is a loaded and telling statement that resonates across the film. The KKK is one thing, but the middle of the bell curve on race was nothing to brag about either. Really outstanding.
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