MALCOLM X (1992)

Director: Spike Lee
Writers: Alex Haley, Malcolm X
Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo
Runtime: 202 minutes

Plot: Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.
Review: Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" is one of the great screen biographies, celebrating the whole sweep of an American life that began in sorrow and bottomed out on the streets and in prison before its hero reinvented
himself.
During the initial stages of the film, he was known as "Detroit Red," and ran with a fast crowd. Arrested and convicted, he was sentenced to prison. It was the best thing that happened to Red, who fell into the orbit of the Black Muslim movement of Elijah Muhammad and learned self-respect.
The movie then follows Malcolm as he sheds his last name and becomes a fiery street-corner preacher who quickly rises until he is the most charismatic figure in the Black Muslims, teaching that whites are the devil and that blacks must become independent and self-sufficient.
But there was still another conversion ahead; during a pilgrimage to Mecca, he was embraced by Muslims of many colors and returned to America convinced that there were good people of peace in all races. Not long after, in 1965, he was assassinated - probably by members of the Muslim sect he had broken with.
Spike Lee has told the story of this man's story in an extraordinary fashion.
Denzel Washington stands at the center of the film, in a performance of enormous breadth. He never seems to be trying for an effect, and yet he is always convincing.
Many would expect that Malcolm X would be a slightly angry film. However, this film is not an assault but an explanation. It deliberately addresses all races in its audience. Everyone will see a Malcolm X whose experiences and motives make him understandable and finally heroic.

Reviewed By S.M. Intisab Shahriyar