Exciting and Dynamic Biopic!

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2005)

MALCOLM X (4+ outta 5 stars) Spike Lee's most ambitious project... and it is *almost* the film classic that he had hoped to make (I believe he wanted the Malcolm X bio to be an African-American "Lawrence of Arabia"). Unfortunately, Lee's ego gets in the way a couple of times... not enough to ruin the movie... but he does get the eyeballs to roll a couple of times. First off (let me get the bad stuff outta the way first), when is he gonna outgrow that infantile "A Spike Lee Joint" crap? It was cute for some of his wacky indie comedies... but not a "real" movie... come on now! Second, why does the movie have to start with Spike walking down the street pretending to be cool in his zoot suit? Is this "The Spike Lee Story"? Nope, it's "Malcolm X"... so cut out those first 2 minutes please and start the movie out in the barber shop! Third, that dance number at the start is kinda cool (even if it is totally unnecessary) but, for the love of Lean, does it have to end with Spike sliding down the floor towards the camera, beaming out at the audience like this is some cheesy music video? Okay... time to let it go... all the bad stuff is over with in the first twenty minutes... everything that follows is pretty dang cool (which just makes those three lapses in judgment all the more annoying). Denzel gives a great performance as Malcolm... definitely the only actor who could have done the role justice. The script is great... telling the whole story... from Malcolm's less auspicious beginnings... to the revelations he discovers in prison... to his eventual role as one of the most eloquent and powerful speakers that the world has ever known. You don't even have to agree with everything the man says to realize that the man had a gift... and a voice that the world will know forever. The movie is a nearly-great epic and, after "Do The Right Thing", is undoubtedly Lee's best work.