On M List of Movie Reviews

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Malcolm X (1992)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 7/05

MalcX
7/05: Malcolm X shouldn't have been made in the first place.

Sure, Spike Lee must felt like he was born on this planet for one and only one purpose: to make a picture about Malcolm X. But the fact of the matter is: he was the wrong person to undertake the project.

While watching the film, I couldn't help but perceive Spike Lee didn't understand the man himself. I read Alex Haley's book twice and came away knowing who exactly Malcolm X was: a brainwashed, smooth-talking, racist, and misogynistic con man who kept flip-flopping on many issues.

I am sorry, but I just don't see Denzel Washington as Malcolm X. As much as I like him, he isn't polished enough to tackle the role because he doesn't have the necessary range or depth to make it work. The right person, if it's possible to go back by twenty to thirty years, should've been Sidney Poitier. Hell, go with Al Freeman, Jr.; he had it down pat in Roots: The Next Generations.

The camera work can be awful at times. A good example is when Malcolm X was giving a speech, it hovered over the people with inappropriate interspersed shots with no close-ups of the leader. Spike Lee might capture this and that, which are actually the highlights of Alex Haley's book, but he fails to flesh out Malcolm X for deeper understanding. Hence, Malcolm X is converted into a flashy biopic because he was simply a cool "mother." By the way, why was Spike Lee soaking up so much of unnecessary attention during the first hour? It doesn't make sense because that wasn't in the book at all.

All in all, to get a clear idea of the man himself is to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley, but forget about the movie.