Spike Lee has made a disappointingly conventional and sluggish film in Malcolm X.
Malcolm X
Scholar, convict, leader, disciple, hipster, father, hustler, minister, black man, every man.
1992 · 3h 22m · PG-13
Drama, History
Directed by
Spike Lee
Overview
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
Benefits from a lively lead performance by the miscast Denzel Washington but doesn't come within light years of the book, one of the greatest American autobiographies.
Lee and company have performed a powerful service: they have brought Malcolm X very much to life again, both as man and myth.
Lee sketches Malcolm's life colorfully, if by the numbers. But he falls victim to the danger of movie biography: he elevates Malcolm's importance until the vital historical context is obscured.
It plays surprisingly safe as a solidly crafted trawl through the didactic/hagiographic conventions of the mainstream biopic.
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