Malcolm X

“that’s too much power for one man to have.”not only one of the greatest biopics ever made but certainly one of the greatest and most important american epics ever made. denzel washington commands the screen as malcolm x with great support from angela bassett who plays his wife, dr. betty shabazz. she has so many little moments where her undeniable talent pours out of her but my favorite is the end where she is holding malcolm. it feels like such a sucker punch. even if you know history and ultimately how this story ends, you still feel unprepared. and of course delroy lindo delivers an extremely unforgettable performance in his limited screen time. malcolm x is truly an epic. with a runtime of 3 hours and 22 minutes, spike lee delivers a perfectly crafted story showing the short yet rich life of the illustrious black rights activist. there are very few films that show you the entire story like spike lee does here. american history classes and pop culture will have you thinking that he was a very violent extremist. sure, he has his moments but malcolm x gives you the truth. the complete experience. he was real, he was human therefore he came with many flaws. spike lee does not shy away from any of them nor does he attempt to sugarcoat anything. i have goosebumps for the last hour every single time i watch it. the famous double dolly shot, sam cooke’s smooth vocals, and angela bassett are what makes the ending so special to me. pure cinema.   this is a film & performance that i find myself thinking of very often. honestly, this is the film that made me start taking my love for cinema more seriously (thanks mom for showing me). denzel washington is certainly my favorite actor and it’s because of this magnetic performance that he has yet to be dethroned as my goat. i often argue that malcolm **x is spike lee’s magnum opus and definitely denzel washington’s best performance of his long, successful career.