Review of Malcolm X (1992) by Amanda C — 18 Jan 2011

You know a film is good when you can sit through 3 and a half hours without looking at your watch. Malcolm X is a fascinating portrait of a man who doesn't get the credit he deserves as part of the American civil rights movement. The best thing about this film is it doesn't gloss over the nasty bits of Malcolm X's life or try to raise him to sainthood. He's a man who has a strong belief and set of principles which grow and progress as he does. It's not just a story about Malcolm X, but an entire contingent of black American's of the 60's who were trying to find their place any way they could.

Denzel Washington gives one of his best performances of his career, lead with a steady hand by Spike Lee and supported by a whole host of fantastic performances. Malcolm X has a great natural, documentary feel and makes great use of inter-cutting historical footage, with fictional news footage and the narrative of the film.

This film brings to light one of the great travesties of Hollywood: the fact that Spike Lee couldn't get them to finance this film is ridiculous. When presented with a script, cast and a director of this calibre you give them the money, and when a filmmaker has this much passion for his project you give him the support as well. There needs to be more support for black filmmakers to produce films about their stories and concerns because they're relevant to everyone and it can only benefit our culture.