Malcolm X

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Zach)

           You may know Spike Lee from Air Jordan commercials; “Is it the shoes Mike?”. While he did a few commercials, he made a pile of iconic music videos in the late 80s/early 90s. In 1986 he shot a Miles Davis music video that shot by shot looks like real contemporary art. In 1989 he shot the video for Public Enemy’s Fight the Power in the streets of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn with a giant portrait of Malcolm X front and centre.

           In 1992 he would return to this theme in Malcolm X, a biopic starring Denzel Washington in the lead role. The movie runs over 3-hours and follows the life of Malcolm Little, the man who grew to be one of America’s great civil-rights leaders, Malcolm X. The biopic is based off of The Autobiography of Malcolm X as narrated to Alex Haley. Like any biographical depictions, not everything will fit but Spike Lee did his damndest to try.

           This movie is incredible as a production. I personally like to see a director’s influence in a film and not just a polished, cookie-cutter movie. Spike Lee goes big, shooting massive crowds in New York and a pilgrimage to Mecca, and even shoots on location in Egypt. If you’re familiar with Malcolm X you’ll notice certain historic photographs acted out on screen. Lee is brilliant, creating a convincing period piece with out of the box shots like close ups of dictionary definitions, flashbacks, and a stunning closing montage featuring Nelson Mandela.

           Denzel Washington is excellent as each incarnation of Malcolm as the film follows his journey from a dancehall fixture to a street hustler, prisoner, convert, minister of Islam to his ascendency as free-thinking independent civil-rights activist. While he isn’t a dead-ringer for Malcolm, he becomes him on screen in his voice and cadence down to his body movements. Washington’s performance of the Lindy Hop shows-off the degree of effort and practice put into the role.

           The movie is slow but each scene reveals another facet of the complicated and challenged Malcolm X. I don’t know what I would’ve cut if I were in charge of editing that film any further. Even though some scenes stand out over others, every scene gives us something to think about. I enjoyed watching the struggle of a man aiming at holiness and becoming disillusioned and finding a new way forward.

           There is a significant character transformation that takes place over the life of Malcolm X. The film gives us such a broad arc of a life that the tragedy of death really comes off the screen in the end. I sat through the entirety of the credits, in part because the music was bangin’ but also for pictures of Malcolm X. The end of the credits has a READ heading next to the cover of The Autobiography of Malcolm X as narrated to Alex Haley.

           This was notable to me because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie based on a book with the direct instruction to read the book the movie is based on. The movie does something important throughout, even here in the end of the credits where it directs every viewer to learn more about the man, Malcolm X, the civil-rights movement and the problems it sought to address.

 

Watch this movie on Crave and get the book in a real bookstore or Thrift Shop or check your local library.

 

Another favorite Spike Lee joint is Blackkklansmen.

 

If you want to see the DOPE Miles Davis video mentioned above, copy and paste this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2NyIOJHcog