It's impressive this biopic, "Malcolm X," works as well as it does given its rather difficult production, beset by outcries on all sides as to the portrayal of the controversial historical figure, and given its 3-hours-plus length by a writer and director, Spike Lee, who has been criticized for his bluntness and excessiveness, at least occasionally, and a star, Denzel Washington, who is often celebrated more the more over-the-top his performances. Yet, the film is remarkable for its relative restraint and balance. We see all sides of each, and, ultimately, I think we mostly experience the best of them.
There's the Malcolm Little born a son to a preacher harassed by the KKK and murdered, to be raised in a discriminatory system of foster care; "Red," the zoot-suit-wearing lover of a white woman who becomes a gangster; the prisoner converted to the Nation of Islam and to civil-rights minister "Malcolm X"; and, finally, the more tolerant and cooperative Muslim activist out to lead his own mosque before his assassination. Lee seems to revel in the free-flowing zoot suit and gangster parts--even casting himself as a sidekick, and he mostly reserves his usual didactic overkill this time--making sure to connect past to present racism--to the opening (including footage of the beating of Rodney King) and an ending that admittedly helps cleanse the palate from the protagonist's tragic death, as well as including images of wealthy African Americans who donated money to bring the production to completion (plus, who can say anything bad about a cameo from Nelson Mandela). For the most part, Lee lets the compelling narrative of Malcolm X be told. Arguably, even, America's history of white supremacy doesn't receive enough criticism throughout the film. In the later parts, the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad, instead, come across as the picture's main foes (which makes it all the more odd that the Fruit of Islam provided security for the film) while the FBI eavesdrops under its COINTELPRO program of undermining American civil-rights and political organizations.
As for Denzel Washington's performance, I think there's a good case for his being robbed of the Oscar. That year, as typical, the Academy awarded an actor, Al Pacino, for overblown histrionics. Likewise, it took Washington ranting and raving in "Training Day" (2002) before he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar. Despite criticisms of extremism and the natural focus on speechifying the part requires, such tactics wouldn't work for playing Malcolm X. There are moments requiring silent reflection and intelligent argumentation. In the end, it turns out that Spike Lee and Malcolm X are more moderate in their radicalism, ultimately compromising within larger systems seeking progress, whether they employ traditional filmic storytelling and hagiography or try to cooperate with other civil-rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., than some give them credit for.
There's the Malcolm Little born a son to a preacher harassed by the KKK and murdered, to be raised in a discriminatory system of foster care; "Red," the zoot-suit-wearing lover of a white woman who becomes a gangster; the prisoner converted to the Nation of Islam and to civil-rights minister "Malcolm X"; and, finally, the more tolerant and cooperative Muslim activist out to lead his own mosque before his assassination. Lee seems to revel in the free-flowing zoot suit and gangster parts--even casting himself as a sidekick, and he mostly reserves his usual didactic overkill this time--making sure to connect past to present racism--to the opening (including footage of the beating of Rodney King) and an ending that admittedly helps cleanse the palate from the protagonist's tragic death, as well as including images of wealthy African Americans who donated money to bring the production to completion (plus, who can say anything bad about a cameo from Nelson Mandela). For the most part, Lee lets the compelling narrative of Malcolm X be told. Arguably, even, America's history of white supremacy doesn't receive enough criticism throughout the film. In the later parts, the Nation of Islam and Elijah Muhammad, instead, come across as the picture's main foes (which makes it all the more odd that the Fruit of Islam provided security for the film) while the FBI eavesdrops under its COINTELPRO program of undermining American civil-rights and political organizations.
As for Denzel Washington's performance, I think there's a good case for his being robbed of the Oscar. That year, as typical, the Academy awarded an actor, Al Pacino, for overblown histrionics. Likewise, it took Washington ranting and raving in "Training Day" (2002) before he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar. Despite criticisms of extremism and the natural focus on speechifying the part requires, such tactics wouldn't work for playing Malcolm X. There are moments requiring silent reflection and intelligent argumentation. In the end, it turns out that Spike Lee and Malcolm X are more moderate in their radicalism, ultimately compromising within larger systems seeking progress, whether they employ traditional filmic storytelling and hagiography or try to cooperate with other civil-rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., than some give them credit for.