I somehow missed this movie when it first came around, most likely because I was a kid. Now that I’m older, I thought it was about time I got around to seeing this incredible film. The movie is based on the book about Malcolm X and follows along quite well in regards to the book.

The movie as a whole is long, very long. We’re talking epic length, and rightfully so, the movie details Malcom’s early life, adulthood, prison time, and rise in the Islamic faith. He is shown through various transitional periods, and along the way, director Spike Lee treats the source material really well.

I found myself trying to remember if the events happened the way the book was positioned, or if Spike Lee was taking liberties. For the most part, Lee was not and was faithful to the book throughout the film.

The movie made realize a lot of things about culture and African American history. First thing I noticed is that Malcolm X wasn’t as crazy as my teachers all taught me. My teachers always revered Dr. Martin Luther King over Malcolm X and would often cite that Malcolm would most likely be the opposite of King in many ways.

That might be the case for a period of time, but towards the end of Malcolm X’s tenure as a speaker and devout Muslim, he began to notice that violence was not exactly going to work, and that the separatist ideology that he was proclaiming for so long, was not the greatest way to go.

This is all according to the way the film portrays him.

Here is a trailer for the film Malcolm X Directed by Spike Lee:

I’m kind of skimping on this review, in a lot of ways because it’s so hard to fully review the whole movie as a character study. Seriously, I can’t really get all the key plot points of this movie and truly do it justice. So to help me out…here comes wikipedia.org to save the day:

Malcolm X divides the life of the African-American activist Malcolm X into three sections. The first section deals with the troubled childhood of Malcolm Little, whose father, a preacher, was murdered by the Black Legion and whose mother was institutionalized for insanity. Malcolm grows up and gets a job as a Pullman porter, calling himself Detroit Red. Getting involved with a Harlem gangster named West Indian Archie with whom he has a falling out, Malcolm flees to Boston and decides to become a burglar. He and his best friend, Shorty (played by Spike Lee) are arrested by the police and Malcolm is sentenced to a ten-year prison term. The second section follows Malcolm’s life in prison, where a fellow inmate, Baines, introduces him to the teachings of the Nation of Islam.

The third section follows Malcolm’s religious conversion as a disciple of Elijah Muhammad. During this fervent immersion into the Nation of Islam, he becomes an incendiary speaker for the movement and marries Betty Shabazz. Malcolm X preaches a doctrine of separation from white society. However, a pilgrimage to Mecca softens his beliefs, teaching him that Muslims come from all races, even whites, and he endeavors to break free of the strict dogma of the Nation of Islam, with tragic results. Malcolm and his family receive death threats and their house is firebombed. Malcolm drives to the Audubon Ballroom for his upcoming rally. He is assassinated in front of his wife and young daughters as he is about to deliver a speech, on February 21, 1965. After the assassination scene, the film cuts to black and white news footage of Malcolm X being carried out of the Audubon Ballroom on a stretcher, at the hospital, a man states that Malcolm X is dead.

The film closes in the present day, with numerous children of African descent, both in the United States and Africa, declaring “I am Malcolm X.” The final scene takes place in a in a classroom in Soweto township in South Africa, with anti-apartheid activist and future South African President Nelson Mandela quoting one of Malcolm X’s speeches.

It’s a good movie. I loved it. However, I don’t know if this is for everyone. There are a lot of scenes involving Malcolm X addressing crowds, and going headlong into speeches about Islam.

The movie can get boring to a lot of people, and those that are somewhat biased will definitely either love or hate the portrayal.

I recommend everyone view this portrayal of Malcolm X, as a film it is definitely great. A little long, but it’s full of life and emotion. Denzel Washington definitely does a great job.

The Autobiography of Malcom X as told to Alex Haley

The book is relatively smaller than I would have expected, since the Movie was so longwinded at times. This book is definitely a must read for everyone. It can get a little dry at times, but it’s a critically acclaimed look into the life and times of Malcolm X.

Some of the book made me want to know more, and I had a lot of questions, but as you know, they can never be answered.

I would recommend the movie as opposed to the book, as it has a broader stroke. But I do not think the movie is greater than the book.

Maybe check out both? I’m not sure. It’s a tough one. I obviously am NOT the greatest reviewer of these types of subjects, but man, I wholeheartedly enjoyed watching and reading all about Malcolm X. I wish school would have focused more on his life and times.

What I took from this whole adventure is not so much the weight of the ideas, but the sheer fact that these events are not far off into history. These things happened roughly 50 years ago, seriously, that’s not THAT long in comparison to some other films.