Review of Malcolm X (1992) by Kevin D — 17 Dec 2010

Not only is one of the best biopics that Ive seen, this is one of the best movies that Ive seen. This is an important movie that talks about one of the most disgraceful times in American history. I think the only person who could have directed this movie was Spike Lee and he did a marvelous job.

I got nervous in the first 40 minutes because the story started out sloppy and unclear as Lee was going back and forth between Malcolm's life as a child and a young man but finally the story steadies out and the viewer feels as if they are in Malcolm's mind. Although the movie is 3 hours and 20 minutes, it goes by really quickly and is very entertaining. Denzel Washington takes command of his powerful leading role and he becomes Malcolm X. Its a difficult role because Malcolm took on 3 different personalities during his life, each one becoming more mature and Washington nails it. Some other Oscar worthy performances were by two of Malcolm's key role models: Albert Hall as Baines and Al Freeman Jr. as Elijah Muhammad.

One minor weakness was the relationship between Malcolm and his wife since they seemingly go on one date where they barely know one another and then a few scenes later he proposes to her. Their early relationship went by quickly and I think they should have developed it more, but it was just a minor problem. The best thing Spike Lee did in the movie was show who the real Malcolm X was. People believe he supported violence and segregation but those misconceptions are proven incorrect in the movie.

This is a truly inspirational movie that can be appreciated by people of all races. Malcolm X is an important movie that I strongly recommend.