DVDFile

Warner / 202 Minutes / 1992 / Rated PG-13 / Street Date: January 31, 2012

Spike Lee has never been subtle. Anyone who thinks he can be has never seen any of his films. Malcolm X, Lee's reverent homage to the slain civil rights leader, is no different. Opening with the Rodney King video accompanied by Denzel Washington's voice-over charging the "white man" with crimes against humanity, the film's position is never in doubt. But what emerges is less a political rant than an intimate portrait of an influential leader of the people.

The film presents the details of Malcolm's life mostly in chronological order, beginning with his early years in Harlem (his childhood is touched on in brief flashbacks). The son of a preacher who died at the hands of a groups of racist neighbors, Malcolm Little (his birth name) began a life of petty crime, eventually resulting in his incarceration for burglary (for "sleeping with white women," as Malcolm sees it). While in jail, Malcolm is befriended by a fellow inmate named Baines, from whom he begins to learn a new point of view. He emerges as Malcolm X, a Muslim leader who becomes one of the foremost pioneers in the civil rights movement.

If Denzel Washington's powerhouse performance as Reuben Carter in The Hurricane wasn't enough to convince you that he's one of the finest actors working today, I give you exhibit B. As Malcolm, Washington delivers a fine-tuned performance that swings from nuance to nuance, making Malcolm feel like flesh and blood rather than just a character. Though he gets considerable help from a stellar supporting cast (including Spike Lee, Delroy Lindo and Angela Bassett), the film really belongs to him, with him being the focus of nearly every scene. Others could learn from watching Washington's ability to convey deep emotions in the most subtle ways (his facial expression just before his assassination is just one particularly striking example).

Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson (Lee's preferred cameraman) delivers some beautifully rendered compositions, providing images that live and breathe on their own, and Lee himself guides the narrative (which he co-wrote) with a sure and affectionate hand, making his own personal position very clear while frequently not estranging the other view. If there is a problem with Lee's direction, it is precisely that affection, which prevents him from condensing the narrative. Lee wants to cover so much material that he occasionally skims events where he should be exploring. Also, at 202 minutes, the film runs a bit long, mostly the result of Lee's extremely lofty ambitions. Several scenes halt the narrative flow where they should have moved it forward. These are easily overlooked the first time through, but make the thought of repeat viewings daunting.