fascinating figure from a great actor

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2015)

During the war years in Boston, Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) and his friend Shorty (Spike Lee) are zoot suit wearing, hair-straightening negroes about town. His father was a preacher in Nebraska urging a return to Africa and killed by the KKK. His mother was born to a black woman raped by a white man. He is taken by Sophia (Kate Vernon) and gangster West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo). He leaves his innocent black girlfriend and goes into a life of crime. Malcolm and Shorty are imprisoned for 10 years of hard times. In prison, he is befriended by Baines who introduces him to Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He falls in love with Dr. Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett).
Director Spike Lee dives into a fascinating historical figure with the great Denzel Washington. His charisma is perfectly translated and transformed on the screen. That's not to say there are no problems in this movie. The pacing is a little slow at times. I don't want Spike Lee to act in this movie. It's too much of a distraction. Spike does lay out his life very well and leaves it up to audience to some extent on what his life truly means. The movie probably needs somebody with less reverence to be more merciless in the editing room.