Malcolm X
2 Oscar Nominations·National Film Registry
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
What critics thought
Spike Lee's three-hour biography earns its epic scale largely on the strength of Denzel Washington's performance, with audiences responding more warmly than the critical consensus fully reflects. The film is broadly admired, though its emotional strategy — whether it moves viewers toward reflection or simply lets them off the hook — remains a genuine fault line.
“one of the great screen biographies, celebrating the sweep of an American life that bottomed out in prison before its hero reinvented himself”
Roger Ebert·The Chicago Sun-Times
Genres
Biography, Drama, History
Cast & Crew
DirectorSpike Lee
StarringDenzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo
ComposerTerence Blanchard
Malcolm X
2 Oscar Nominations·National Film Registry
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
What critics thought
Spike Lee's three-hour biography earns its epic scale largely on the strength of Denzel Washington's performance, with audiences responding more warmly than the critical consensus fully reflects. The film is broadly admired, though its emotional strategy — whether it moves viewers toward reflection or simply lets them off the hook — remains a genuine fault line.
“one of the great screen biographies, celebrating the sweep of an American life that bottomed out in prison before its hero reinvented himself”
Roger Ebert·The Chicago Sun-Times
Genres
Biography, Drama, History
Cast & Crew
DirectorSpike Lee
StarringDenzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo
ComposerTerence Blanchard