According to David Somerset of the British Film Institute (where the film was screened in May 2012 as part of their "African Odysseys" strand): "the major achievement of Spook is its depiction of a spectrum of social roles within the African-American community. It's a vivid picture of the language of race politics whose complexity and inherent contradictions go to the heart of the African-American experience, encouraging the viewer to transcend class and consider their collective plight. Without this critique of individual complicity in oppression, The Spook Who Sat by the Door could be accused of being a rabble-rousing exercise in fuelling blind resentment, but as Freeman tells a fellow gang member, 'This is not about hating white folks… this is about loving freedom enough to fight and die for it.'"