Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) rose from a two-bit street hustler to one of the most powerful men in the American Civil Rights movement, taking the surname X as a rejection of one imposed by white slaveowners. He was demonized as a hardliner, a zealot, and a radical. He advocated for Black-owned businesses, education, and adherence to Muslim values. His principles were absolute and unimpeachable, based in a shining idealism that blinded him to the possibility of betrayal.
This is an incredible biopic. It's so reverential it borders on hagiographic, but never quite strays over the line, thanks to a powerhouse performance by Washington. It is a supreme injustice that Best Actor went to Al Pacino (who deserved one for a different performance) for Scent of a Woman and not Denzel. That is some bullshit. It's not a Hot Take to say that this is one of Spike Lee's best films, but it is still accurate. At almost three and a half hours, you may need an intermission, but don't chicken out. Watch it in chunks if you have to. Delroy Lindo is great, Angela Bassett is always great, there are a ton of cameos from Karen Allen to Nelson Mandela, and an all-time performance from Albert Hall.
Also, this is not something I generally pay attention to, but the sound design in this is phenomenal. Genuine gut-wrenching moments caused exclusively by sound.
If you don't know anything about Black history except that Malcolm X was the angry Not-MLK, Jr. but still got assassinated, you really need to see this film. And maybe pick up a book by literally any POC. It's streaming on Amazon Prime.
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