Malcolm X

The end of this movie closes with a bunch of people (mostly children) from around the world boldly declaring "I am Malcolm X". The symbolism was not lost on me. Malcolm X spoke to more than just a generation. He speaks to us from the grave even now. The fire and passion that colored his early religious segregationist speech died out shortly before he was murdered, tempered by a tolerance the world would be forever denied.

It is unclear what sort of mark Malcolm X WOULD have made on society had he lived, but what IS clear is that the influence he held on the civil rights movement is undeniable. His fire and the passions of men like Martin Luther King paved the way for some of the most historic moments in American history.

But this movie doesn't stop with painting that well-known picture of Malcolm. We see Malcolm in his early days as a street hustler. We see him courting his beloved Betty and eventually fathering some four children. We see him as the protector and provider for his family. We see him as inquisitive and stern. Self-assured with a desire to know everything. Curious but confident. Influential but, at times, easily influenced by circumstances in which he found himself.

Malcolm X was undoubtedly a profoundly flawed human being. But it is that same humanity that allowed him to reach such greatness. It is that humanity that we celebrate today, regardless of our own skin color.

While I'm certain some literary license was taken where necessary, I do believe this movie was about as accurate a depiction of Malcolm X as you can make, without running the risk of being disrespectful to the memories of Malcolm and his beloved Betty.

This is a landmark in world film, and I recommend the two-disc DVD version for its special features and excellent, sharp transfer.

Watching this finally made me understand why Malcolm X was the way he was. It distinguished Malcolm X from the Nation of Islam quite clearly and showed the amazing transformation from his beginnings as a poisoned hoodlum to a clear-minded speaker for Elijah Muhammad to a spiritual, independent leader and voice for the true Islam. Particularly effective is the sequence involving his pilgrimage to Mecca at the time of his separation from the Nation of Islam in 1964. Brilliant filmmaking and editing.

Visually, this is brilliant, thanks to some beautiful cinematography by Ernest Dickerson, and very true-to-life costume and stage design.

The acting is solid throughout. Denzel Washington obviously deserves the most credit for his seamless presentation of Malcolm X, both visually and verbally. He became Malcolm. Kudos as well to Delroy Lindo, Angela Bassett, Al Freeman for some equally solid performances.

If I had to pick a criticism, it is that, the rhetoric in the film is very heavy-handed and forced at several points in the movie. For example, the police captain who says (artificially), "That's too much power for one man to have", or the alleged speculation that the CIA was involved (wiretappers remarking in an aside, "compared to King, this guy's a lamb")-- maybe they were, but it didn't really add to the story in the way that they presented this subplot, or the attempt to try to put a happy ending on the film (kids standing up and shouting, "I am Malcolm X!") just didn't resonate well with me. Minor points, but worth noting.

In contrast, however, the opening sequence, although very heavy as well (with Malcolm's strong rhetoric superimposed over a burning American flag and the Rodney King police beating in LA) worked well as a powerful point of departure for the controversy and image of Malcolm X and a brilliant image of the history of race relations in America.

Some claim that the movie's length is excessive. I disagree. To reduce the complexity and history of Malcolm X to a convenient 1.5-2 hours would've been an injustice. The movie, at 3+ hours, feels as seamless and as significant as another memorable film, Gandhi.

At the time that this was released, I was put off by Spike Lee telling children to leave school to watch this film, and by the aggressive clothing marketing campaign as well (remember all the Malcolm X baseball caps in 1992?), and I equated it with self-promotion and corporate greed. Unfortunately, that put off my seeing this until it came out on video (and later, DVD).

Fortunately, this is 2007, and the film holds up very well today, and I'm assuming that it will stand on its own 50 years from now equally well, if not moreso. Unfortunately, this is 2007, and I think that Malcolm X's message of self-determination and dignity from 40-45 years ago is largely unrealized. Get the 2-disc DVD, but don't skip school to view it. ;-)

It's really an amazing film in which Mr. Freeman does an magnific interpretation. It hit you in your stomach the way it present the black people in the american society and really think.

Spike Lee's masterpiece, and visually one of the best films ever made. Denzel Washington gives his best performance by far, and probably should have received that year's Academy Award for Best Actor. Losing to Al Pacino for "Scent of a Woman." Though as Mr. Washington once expressed, if he had to lose to someone that year, it should only have been to Mr. Pacino for his powerful performance in that film. And until recent years, Hollywood and the white viewing public just weren't ready for a story like "Malcolm X", and the effort to confront centuries of racism in America. Even denying it any other well deserved Academy Award nominations.

But to all true fans of cinema, do yourself a favor and view this film, if you haven't already. You will have to agree; powerful film making, even if the subject matter is not to your liking. Some scenes will be offensive to Christians, though we must understand where people are in the world.

A born again African-American Christian.

This is my favorite Spike Lee "joint" (personally, I hate that characterization, but Spike likes being Spike). I saw the film in a theater, and I didn't get up once. Despite the fact that the film is 201 minutes long, and there was no intermission, it was absolutely riveting, and one of the better epics ever made. Denzel Washington is utterly amazing as Malcolm X, bringing the fire, passion, intelligence, and dignity the man had. He should have won the Oscar. Spike's direction is really assured, and he doesn't use too many visual tricks here, because the original story is so good. Spike is also good as Shorty, one of Malcolm's friends from his crime days. Originally, I thought Lee had just added the character to give himself a role, but Shorty is mentioned in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The Mecca scenes are mesmerizing and visually stunning, but it almost didn't happen. Warner Brothers wanted Spike to shoot these scenes in Jersey (!) on the beaches there. Spike ended up calling Warner's racist (which they weren't, they were just being a cheap studio), and it turned a lot of people off of this film and may have cost Spike and Denzel Oscars. Denzel won for Training Day, which is a far worse film. Regardless, this is a magnificent, balanced, and very thorough biopic of a fascinating man. It's one of the better biopics made. Spike never rushes through anything here. It's one of Spike's best films...