Lee sketches Malcolm's life colorfully, if by the numbers. But he falls victim to the danger of movie biography: he elevates Malcolm's importance until the vital historical context is obscured.
Comment
09/23/08
Malcolm X (1992)
93 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 46
Fresh: 43
Rotten:3
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Runtime: 3 hrs 21 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Spike Lee brings the life of African-American leader Malcolm X (an intense Denzel Washington in an Oscar-nominated performance) to the big screen in this sprawling, epic biographical drama. Born Malcolm Little, son of a Nebraska... [More]
Starring: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Al Freeman, Delroy Lindo
Director: Spike Lee
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Reviews for Malcolm X
Top Critic
Visually and dramatically, Lee pulls out all the stops, but it's Washington's performance that really energizes the film, and he's an exhilarating presence throughout.
09/23/08
Lamoclm X may seem conventional by Spike Lee's standards, but as a biopic of a controversial historical figure, it's superior to the nobility of spirit of a movie like Gandhi, for example, and Attenborough's high-mindedness.
12/25/06
It plays surprisingly safe as a solidly crafted trawl through the didactic/hagiographic conventions of the mainstream biopic.
02/09/06
a thoughtful and insightful rendering that promises to educate generations about the real Malcolm X
03/05/05
In the leading man category, Denzel Washington in Malcolm X managed to deliver the best performance of the decade.
02/24/05
Malcolm X owes its success to a combination of things, not the least of which is Washington's performance.
02/14/05
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02/12/05
Top Critic Finds Lee’s tendencies towards gadflyish social outrage folded into the fabric of the typically reactionary biopic genre.
02/08/05
Latest News for Malcolm X
April 05, 2005:
Spike & Denzel to Team Up for a Fourth Flick
Blackfilm.com snagged an interesting quote from controversial filmmaker Spike Lee. The director was attending an after-party for Denzel Washington's Broadway opening of... More...
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