Aarcflick

It's difficult to quantify the significance of Hurricane Katrina: the combination of a historic natural disaster and a cold, systemic indifference to its impoverished African American victims makes it perhaps the most significant event in 21st-century African American history. It's no surprise, then, that more than one major documentary series has been made to commemorate the 20 years since wind, water, and unconscionable racism devastated New Orleans, nor that the leading cinematic auteurs of two consecutive generations, Spike Lee and Ryan Coogler, have executive produced theirs. But watching Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, one wishes Lee and Coogler had spoken on the phone to make sure they weren't duplicating themselves too much. The new three-part episode—Lee's arriving on Netflix during the week of the anniversary—has a slightly muted impact due to the preexistence of Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, Coogler's series that premiered on Disney+ and Nation...