A film of power that gives an amazing look into the man's life

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2007)

I had the privilege to finally have the chance to view Spike Lee's film on the controversial black Nationalist Leader Malcolm X. The film is near a 3 1/2 hour biopic of the man named Malcom X who in 1960 opposed Martin Luther King Jr as one of the most important civil rights leader. With the controversial director Spike Lee behind the camera and Denzel Washington giving it his all on the screen, Malcolm X has stood the test of time since its release in 1992 and was a privilege to watch for me.
As stated above, the film is a biopic of Malcolm X. The story starts with his early 20's. He is a junkie, a thief, and a criminal in all aspects of life. The film has many flashbacks to give us an idea of his childhood and what he has endured thus far and why he is where he is. Soon he is sent to jail where he maintains his hostility towards life and all other people. But a transformation is on its way, one that will put him into the public spotlight and become one of the most influential members of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's.
Now I usually don't watch many Spike Lee films. I respect his work and I have seen some of his work but I tend to not watch his films. Don't know why. Malcolm X to me is the best of his work I have seen. He tells a story, he doesn't lie to the viewers or tone anything down, he tells the story exactly how it was. This has drawn heavy criticism from the white community which views this film as a tad bit demeaning to their race and along with some racial overtones.
I myself am I white male and I did not find the movie to be racist. Yes there are the use of the word n*gger and several other racist names but these are not intended to single out an audience, it is part of the story. Spike Lee is a controversial director because he does not use stereotypes. He portrays people exactly how they are/were in life. He shows that not all white people in life are good, he shows not all black people in life are good. There is no controversy in my mind in this film.
Denzel Washington is... how can I put it into words... MAGNIFICENT. His portrayal of Malcolm X is exactly how I picture the man to have been and that is human. A man who had the will to never give up and the ability to overcome any obstacle thrown at him in order to achieve his goal in life, to obtain equal rights for African Americans. Denzel shows all of this on screen through brilliant acting and character typing, something very hard to achieve.
At first I found the film to be a bit choppy. One second you're in one place, the next you're some place else. Characters coming in left and right, all within the first 20 minutes. It is quite confusing in the first 20 minutes. I do realize that Malcolm X's early days were confusing and he was probably trying to obtain that with the audience in order to relate to him but I still found the start to be a little much. But after the first 20 minutes, the film is spectacular.
The emotion behind Denzel's words and the support of the rest of the cast makes the acting in this some of the best I've seen. The cinematography and sets are top notch in their own respective areas. The film does go slow at a few parts near the middle and the end. It does grab your attention though when it needs you with a powerful montage of scenes to close out the film.
4/5 stars