One of Spike Lee's best movies, featuring one of Denzel's best performances

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2014)

Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" is an ambitious biographical movie about the life of the titular human rights activist, a controversial figure whose influence has been considerable. Regardless of your opinion of the man, his life makes for a fascinating subject as we trace his early years as a criminal, his time with the Nation of Islam and his acrimonious break from that group, culminating in his violent death.
First of all, Denzel Washington was made for the title role. He not only looked the part; he effortlessly captured the essence of what made Malcolm X a powerful presence. His Oscar-nominated performance was undoubtedly awards-worthy. There were also standout performances in supporting roles from the likes of Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo & Albert Hall, among others.
In the director's chair, Spike Lee successfully brought his vision of an epic biography to the screen. The varied cinematography of Ernest Dickerson and the evocative score by Terence Blanchard (both frequent collaborators of Lee's) were important contributions in this vein. Frankly, it's a bit of a head-scratcher that a film with such impeccable production values only garnered one Oscar nomination in the technical categories (in this case, for costume design). Even Spike Lee was unaccountably snubbed.
With a runtime of over three hours, the script provides us with a story that's engrossing enough to captivate our attention from beginning to end. Some of the political viewpoints espoused are questionable to say the least but, ultimately, a compelling case is made for Malcolm X as a positive influence on civil rights. If anything, the openness to showing multiple sides of the man makes the film all the more intriguing.
Overall, I think that "Malcolm X" is a fascinating epic character study in the tradition of "Lawrence of Arabia". Awards recognition may have been minimal at the time of release but I think that the movie has definitely stood the test of time, as its 2010 induction into the National Film Registry attests.