Film Review – Malcolm X (1992)

Malcolm X opens with a shot of the American flag going up in flames. This alone is a powerful imagery that immediately sets the tone of the film and the criticism against the United States that Spike Lee intends to convey with his work. This is even more compelling as it is accompanied by the voice of Malcolm X himself speaking in the background as he speaks about black people “who are the victims of America. […] We have never seen democracy, all we have seen is hypocrisy. We don’t see the American dream, we’ve experienced the American nightmare.”

Based on Alex Haley’s book “Denzel Washington), including some pivotal moments like his incarceration, his conversion to Islam, and later his falling out with the Nation of Islam, a religious organization the protagonist was a minister for during his lifetime. The film also gives us an insight into Malcolm’s childhood, marked by his father’s murder for his activism for Black rights. Eventually, it also takes us to the very end of Malcolm’s life when he was shot on February 21, 1965.

Most significantly, the film shatters some significant glass ceilings in the industry. Not only does it champion black people on the screen – with an entirely Black cast, which is rare to see even today, let alone in 1992 – but also behind the camera with the director himself being the prime example of this. However, this may very well not have been the case. Originally, when Malcolm X was first announced, the Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison was set to direct it, but this was soon changed after the public outcry it received as the production company soon understood that the project needed a Black director.

One of the reasons Malcolm X works as well as it does is that Malcolm himself feels like a real person, which is not always a given when it comes to biopics. Spike Lee had talked about how he wanted to portray his vision of Malcolm X in this film. However, the director did his research, which clearly shows in his nuanced portrayal of the African American activist. Although the importance of this figure is very clear, the viewers are free to make up their own minds about Malcolm X, his preaching, and his life. By the time the film ends, the audience will feel like they have been able to travel back in time and meet Malcolm themselves.

ittedly, you can feel the entire runtime of Malcolm X with its more than three hours runtime, but in many ways, I also feel like this was the point of the film in the end as Lee’s movie is not meant to make us comfortable or be a pleasant watch but, rather, highlight the systemic racism in the context of the United States. While a lot of this may be uncomfortable and, ultimately, also feel quite demoralising by the end of it, there is also some hope by the end of the film. In one of the final scenes, Nelson Mandela – in a cameo where he plays himself – delivers a speech to school children, quoting one of Malcolm X’s speeches, ultimately giving a powerful message of hope for future generations.

Ultimately, it is safe to say that Malcolm X is one of Spike Lee’s best films, one that has established him as one of the greatest American directors working today. It is also one of Denzel Washington’s best performances on the screen in a role that earned him a nomination – but not the win – to the Academy Awards. It is also easily one of the most significant films of past decades with its still necessary and timely commentary on systemic racism in the United States. In fact, this digital restoration proves just how important this film is, as does the fact that it was selected in 2010 for presentation for the United States National Film Registry.