Rotten
Spike Lee has made a disappointingly conventional and sluggish film in Malcolm X.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Malcolm X
Scholar, convict, leader, disciple, hipster, father, hustler, minister, black man, every man.
1992 · 3h 22m · PG-13
Drama, History
Directed by
Spike Lee
Overview
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.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
89%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Benefits from a lively lead performance by the miscast Denzel Washington but doesn't come within light years of the book, one of the greatest American autobiographies.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Fresh
Lee and company have performed a powerful service: they have brought Malcolm X very much to life again, both as man and myth.
David Ansen, Newsweek
Rotten
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.
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
Fresh
It plays surprisingly safe as a solidly crafted trawl through the didactic/hagiographic conventions of the mainstream biopic.
Derek Adams, Time Out
More films
GoodFellas (1990)
Crime · Drama · R
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
- Runtime
- 2h 25m
- Director
- Martin Scorsese
- Cast
- Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
IMDb
8.7
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
Metacritic
92
Ali (2001)
Drama · R
In 1964, a brash, new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes onto the scene: Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self-confidence and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. Yet at the top of his game, both...
- Runtime
- 2h 37m
- Director
- Michael Mann
- Cast
- Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight
IMDb
6.8
Rotten Tomatoes
68%
Metacritic
65
Milk (2008)
Drama · History · R
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
- Runtime
- 2h 8m
- Director
- Gus Van Sant
- Cast
- Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, James Franco
IMDb
7.5
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
Metacritic
83
Comments
Talk about the film with other members