Malcolm X (1992)

While Denzel Washington is brilliant, fully embodying the role of Malcolm X, I felt that the film was overly long and still managed to not fully get under the skin of the controversial, colorful man.

The first hour portrays Malcolm as a hustler and drug addict, sleeping with a white woman but he is caught leading a small thieving ring and gets tossed in prison. Here, he meets Baines (Albert Hall) who teaches him the Muslim religion and while he's skeptical at first, he eventually jumps into that religion, feet first. After being released, he becomes a minister and works full-time for the church, falling in love, chastely with Betty Sanders (Angela Bassett), a nurse whom he marries and starts a family with her in rapid succession. Though they are clearly attached, he travels a lot, fighting for the rights of Muslims and black people living in America. However, as he gets more and more press, the Islam Nation starts to grow wary of him and starts to distance them from him, until he finally separates from the Nation and starts his own branch, goes on a pilgrimage and finally lightens up his stance of complete separation and white people needing to stay completely away from them. 

But he's murdered anyway, in a public setting and with multiple gunmen, it was orchestrated by either the US Government or the Islam Nation which is just disgusting. The film wraps with how Malcolm's influence has impacted the world even decades after his death.

Now, while the film is lengthy, you still only get a taste of how and why Malcolm's views change, not to mention, we barely get any scenes of his marriage to Betty as though she's a mere afterthought. We get a much better glimpse of Malcolm's views in One Night in Miami, at least in my opinion. And considering Malcolm was supposed to be a teenager in those early scenes, Washington was far too old to pull that off, he does much better with Malcolm's later years. Still, the editing is brilliant as well as cinematography, the dance scene alone at the beginning of the film is a must-watch. I just wish this film was better than it was. Grade: B

Side Notes: 

-Pay attention for cameos from Christopher Plummer, Wendell Pierce, Peter Boyle and Giancarlo Esposito.

-Spike Lee, the brilliant director behind this film, has a larger supporting role as Shorty, Malcolm's partner in crime.

-Though Betty was pregnant at the time of Malcolm's death, nothing is mentioned in that regard.

-That scene in the beginning where Malcolm does Russian roulette with the handgun is just ridiculous and totally unnecessary and, I pray, of fabrication of what actually occurred. 

-Bassett is great, though her role should have been larger, her cries at the end, when she cradles Malcolm's head will forever haunt me. 

-Nelson Mandela ends the film, echoing Malcolm's words.