A movie centered on a tribute to a black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. Becoming a Muslim and a nation leader he left a great impact until his death for the black race.
Visually and dramatically, Lee pulls out all the stops, but it's Washington's performance that really energizes the film, and he's an exhilarating presence throughout.
Spike Lee called 1992's Malcolm X "the picture I was born to make," and star Denzel Washington referred to the titular civil-rights leader as "the role of a lifetime." They're both right...[Blu-ray]
Benefits from a lively lead performance by the miscast Denzel Washington but doesn't come within light years of the book, one of the greatest American autobiographies.
An ambitious, tough, seriously considered biographical film that, with honor, eludes easy characterization.
Common Sense Media
January 02, 2011
Insightful and well-rounded portrait of Malcolm X.
TIME Magazine
September 23, 2008
Lee sketches Malcolm's life colorfully, if by the numbers. But he falls victim to the danger of movie biography: he elevates Malcolm's importance until the vital historical context is obscured.
Lamoclm X may seem conventional by Spike Lee's standards, but as a biopic of a controversial historical figure, it's superior to the nobility of spirit of a movie like Gandhi, for example, and Attenborough's high-mindedness.
