25th February 1964. Miami. Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm X all meet and discuss the being prominent figures in the civil rights movement.
Related Titles: Malcolm X, Ali, Fences
Rating: 7.5/10
By Leanne
Since cinemas have been closed, the Awards Season news has been kind-of off my radar and I had literally heard nothing about this film. That was, until, I started seeing Regina King's name appearing more and more in discussions surrounding the awards. Having now seen the film, it's safe to say that it's clear why there is so much buzz. This is her first feature length directorial debut (feature length as she has directed only TV shows prior to this) and she has really come out punching. For a film that has been adapted from a one-room play (of the same name) it's impressive how they have used the four characters to create something so fiery by thoughtful while hardly moving from a hotel room.
The film opens in 1963 with Cassius Clay losing a boxing match at Wembley. Cut to New York where we see Sam Cooke tank a performance in front of an all-white audience. Cut to NFL plater Jim Brown being greeted by a family friend who, after singing his praises, refuses to let him into the house because of his skin colour. Cut to Malcolm X introducing his idea to move away from the Nation of Islam. This was an extremely effective way of introducing the four characters and what the climate of America was like at the time without the need for reading or voiceover.
The cast are excellent. I think they look like their counterparts but are also fantastic actors. Sam Cooke is played by Leslie Odom Jr (of Hamilton fame) Odom Jr has fantastic vocals and this is shown especially with his performance. Kingsley Ben-Adir plays Malcolm X and my particular memorably moment from his performance was during his speech where he stated that 'people are dying on the streets. There comes a time where you have to draw a line and choose a side.' It was a very intense moment and definitely comes across like that. Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown) and Eli Goree (Cassius Clay) were also excellent co-stars and the quartet had an energy that worked well.
One of my favourite parts of this film is the closing scene. The aftermath of this night in Miami. Sam Cooke is debuting his track: 'A Change is Gonna Come.' While this song plays out, the three other men's most famous moments are shown. With Cassius Clay changing his name to Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X facing the consequences of separating from the Nation of Islam and Jim Brown retiring from football to become an actor. These decision were all moments that had been heatedly debated between the men on this night in Miami and it tied the film together very neatly. The film then fades to black and shows X's famous quote about becoming a martyr for the brotherhood and the date of his assassination not a year later. It's also worth seeing the credits out to hear Leslie Odom Jr's amazing track 'Speak Now' written for the film - a great song with an important message.
While it's based on a true story, both the play and the film take artistic license in the sense that while these four men did spend the night together in Miami - the characters' conversations are fictionalised. I found the look into their friendship incredibly interesting. These four gents are some of the most famous names in history and are definitely household names for the most part! What Regina King and this cast have created is very impressive.
This film is not action packed and, in fact, hardly moves from the hotel that it's mostly set in, but it still has an impressive amount included in it and the conversations between the men are interesting. An interesting take on the private-lives of key historical figures.
The premise for this, inspired by true events movie, was very promising. Four influential black men in one room, in the 1960's, inspiring change within a generation and nation. As the audience you are intrigued to see where it goes, what sort of conversations they have, what ideas they possess. But as you see from my rating, I wasn't entirely feeling it.
The beginning of the film, introduces the four men individually. Cassias Clay, boxing at Wembley Stadium, Sam Cooke, performing at a club, Jim Brown, back in his hometown talking to a family friend, and Malcolm X, talking to his wife about leaving the Nation of Islam. All of the men have a different story, and all of their narrative was changed because of the colour of their skin. While all these men are historical and important figures, the film is banking on that the audience knows the back story of their lives and what they are all about. For an individual who may have, shall we say, a lacking knowledge of civil rights history, they possibly won't know the importance of this night in particular where all 4 of them meet in a hotel room in Miami.
The first word that I would associate would be, kind of, boring - however that is fairly harsh. So let me tell you what positives I drew. It really kicks off when there is a discussion between Malcolm X and Sam Cooke. I won't spoil it, but it is super interesting to see their behaviours and I guess a motive that Malcolm X had while Sam Cooke sitting back and waiting for his moment to be present in the movement. However, you cannot guarantee that these conversations actually even took place. We have no idea if these thoughts and ideas were even discussed. Another plus point, is that the acting was phenomenal. These conversations in the hotel room was the foundations of this whole movie. There was no theatrics, or SFX or much of a soundtrack, it was just purely acting, and they did a fantastic job.
We love to see a black female in Regina King directing, and I hope to see many many more feature films from her. I think for me, there just wasn't enough action and or/ content. There weren't any defining moments where things stand out to me unfortunately. I'm disappointed to say that it misfired for me, but I do appreciate the artistry, sentiment and importance. The end scene of Sam Cooke singing 'A Change is Gonna Come' did bring a tear to my eye.
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