The Autobiography is Better

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2019)

Malcolm X, though noticeably affecting to American audiences, is not so much a stirring biopic as, say, "Andrei Rublev" (1966), or structurally innovative as Paul Schrader's "Mishima" (1985), or as crisp as Fincher's "Zodiac" (2007), but it is a fairly respectable work, held up by its ceaselessly fascinating subject. Thematically similar and with the same fire-and-fury be-damned-to-you attitude as Do The Right Thing (a far more visually creative, quick-paced, lively, idiosyncratic, stylized cultural landmark), this one is a lot more straightforward, and the only thing that really keeps it afloat is Washington's embodiement of Malcolm. It's fairly serviceable, but feels like it could've been made by anyone - it doesn't have that Spike Lee vibe that even his bad movies have - though at least here, he's pretty restrained and tones down his trademark over-the-top Spike-isms to deliver one of his more coherent and concise movies. A pretty typical biopic, though by no means a bad one, and relatively solid for a director whose entire body of work is a mixed bag. Despite some of its flatness, its still in the upper tier of his work. A fine watch, but not much more.