After finding Islam in prison Malcolm X begins his path to becoming the second most powerful man in the Nation of Islam.

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2014)

Spike Lee's adaptation of the Autobiography of Malcolm X is a masterpiece that brings the world's understanding and connection to Malcolm one step closer. Spike Lee's use of filter changes and diegetic sound through the course of the film portrays Malcolm's change in consciousness and the direction of his life. In the first part of the movie we see Malcolm's life as a young man and later a hustler. Colors are seen as bright and vivid which adds to a cartoonish sense of his actions in this part of his life. The conking and zoots suits all seem surreal as to portray Malcolm's reflection of his past. Behind these scenes, jazz music is constantly playing as if the backdrop of a cartoon. In the novel, Malcolm explains that he now knows how such things were all apart of the white man's power over blacks and sees his past as childish. Spike lee later illustrates the dramatic change of Malcolm's life when he is sent to prison, by changing the filter and making shots longer and a darker contrast. Spike Lee shows this darkness at a peak when Malcolm is locked in solitary confinement. The pitch black scene is frighting and the blinding that follows when the door is opened seems divine. Soon after he is brought out of the darkness, he finds Islam with the help of a fellow inmate. Spike Lee, with this use of dark and light contrast, as well as the removal of the diegetic jazz music, shows Malcolm X's change in his life and his path to Islam being his escape from the white man's oppression. I really appreciated this use of contrast to the previous scenes of his life as a hustler. Spike Lee through this contrast was able to present Malcolm's transformation more personally to the viewer than they would have if they had only read the autobiography. As the film progresses from then on, it is a more biographical, informative, representation of Malcolm's life but keeps the personal connection Spike Lee created in the first half intact with many close up shots of Malcolm X. When you reach the final death scene in the film, you truly feel the loss of an important man. The connection that Spike Lee creates with his film can not be overlooked and is only a part of what makes this film an amazing piece of art.