Review of One Night in Miami... (2020) by Tvjerry — 12 Jan 2021

This fictional account takes place in 1964, after Cassius Clay (soon to be called Muhammad Ali) defeated heavy weight champion Sonny Liston. He’s joined by his friends Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown, all icons in their fields.

After introducing up each member of the group in their own world, the rest of the movie takes place in a hotel room where the 4 men discuss their careers and their involvement in the civil rights movement.

Since this is based on a play, director Regina King has expanded the locales a bit, but she’s kept the interactions compelling. The quartet of actors are all exceptional, embodying their characters with depth and complexity.

While there are personal moments that reveal their humanity, much of the dialogue revolves around political messages. Even so, it’s an interesting deliberation in an engaging package.