Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Why No Oscar?
To this day, "Malcolm X" is one of my all time favorite films. It is a shame that some of the greatest performances are ignored while equal or lesser performances are praised. For example, Denzel Washington won for "Glory" (a great film) but lost with "Malcolm X" and Laurence Fishburne lost with "Othello" and won for "Whats Love Got to do With It" (an inferior film). And all this while there are screams of discrimination in Hollywood. Denzel wins for a powerful slave role, but not for a controversial figure. Laurence wins for an abusive husband, but not for an awsome portrayal of a Shakespeare character in an inter-ethnic relationship. Not only is "Malcolm X" one of Washington's greatest performances, it is Spike Lee's greatest achievement so far and I own all of his films. It is a daring, insightful, and moving experience. Brother Malcolm's entire experience can be an inspiration to us all, regardless of our background. I feel it is an important film for all to see.
Rating:  - Fine biopic is hurt by awful coda
When I watched Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" on TV, it was a pleasurable surprise. Despite the film's three-hour-plus length, it was never boring and it managed to keep me interested until the last five minutes or so.It tells the story of Malcolm X and shows the enormous changes he went through in his remarkable life. Though the film often fails to take a really intimate look at Malcolm X, Denzel Washington's superlative performance successfully counters this weakness. He keeps us interested in this man, despite the fact, that Lee's film, though it is exquisitely filmed, lacks the courage to explorethe person Malcolm X. The film rather deals with the historical figure of Malcolm and the key events of his life. This makes his picture sometimes seem more dutiful than dramatic. Still, "Malcolm X" is one of the best biopics, not only because of Denzel Washington and the other very good actors. I also liked the cinematography by Ernest Dickerson, the music and the production design which added to the authentic mood of the movie. If Lee had ended his movie five minutes earlier, I would have given it four stars, but unfortunately, he made the disastrous decision to add a closing coda that one can only call embarrasing. It's nothing else but clumsy propaganda and nowhere near the subtlety that the rest of the film displayed. It even features Nelson Mandela who seems to feel uncomfortable in front of a film camera. Maybe Lee was afraid of the subtlety of his picture and feared that someone couldn't get the message. I know that this is just speculation. Whatever his motives were, he didn't do his film a favour.
Rating: - ONe of Spike Lee's best and Denzels absolute best performanc
Spike Lee's malcolm X in my opinion is one of the great fil Bio pictures of the 90's. It's easily Spike Lee's most ambitious effort to date. The film scope is expansive. The story ranges from the streets of Boston to the city of Mecca. The films look is very rich, with vibrant colors and sets. The cinematography is excellent as usual from Ernest Dickerson who goes into his usual bag of visual tricks. Malcolm X has a look that's all of it's own. It has the look and polish of a big studio movie. There's even a dance number that's a sight to see. The cast is impeccable. Stand Out performances go out to all of the cast. Al Freeman Jr. is a virtual clone Elijah Muhammad. His role should have at least earned a nomination for best supporting actor. Delro Lindo also stands out as the wicked number runner West Indian Archie. Angela Basset providesample support as Betty Shabazz. And Albert Hall is splendid as the ficitious Baines. Hey even spike lee has his moments althought I think he should've skipped out on this shot. But the real star of this movie is Denzel Washington. His performance simply breathtaking. He is Malcolm X. He utterly becomes him down to his mannerisms ,speech patterns, he even look more than a little bit like him. I think this was his best on screen performance that should have earned him an Oscar. Talk about robbery. His performance simply towers above the rest of the cast. In a fair world this movie should've won at least three or four oscars. But unfortunately many in the hollywood community refused to give Malcolm X a fair deal. So unfortunately the movie (with the exception of best actor and best costume design) was virtually shut out of the Oscars. Politics. Arguably Spike lee's best film, although Do the right thing is very close. It's a wonderful sprawling oddesey of the life of one of the most influential Black leaders of the 20th century.
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