FILM REVIEW - One Night In Miami
By The Masked Medic
At the start of this year I thought to myself that given the free time that I now had, I wanted to take my blog and my reviews to the next level. That involved setting up my own website which is now all updated. But another thought occurred to me. The truth is that most of my content has been comic book-related, and although I don’t intend to change that much, I wanted to start writing reviews that were of other genres. This review is the first of those!
‘One Night in Miami’ is the first movie directed by Regina King. It tells of a fictional meeting of four of the most recognizable names in black history; Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown. The film starts with Ali, still going by the name Cassius Clay, preparing for his fight with Sonny Liston. He visits Malcolm X and the two discuss the former’s plan to change his name. On the actual night, after his victory, X invites Ali, along with singer Sam Cooke and NFL player Jim Brown back to his hotel room. What starts off as a friendly get-together soon turns sour as certain truths are revealed during the night. It becomes very evident that each person in that room is facing some sort of challenge in their own lives. Ultimately can these four friends walk out of that room in the morning still as friends? I’d say you have to watch to find out!
To play such iconic characters I have to say you need good actors. The thing about this film was that almost all of the actors in the film were not known to me. Aldis Hodge who plays Jim Brown, I only know because he’s been cast as Hawkman in the ‘Black Adam’ film. Having said that, I was especially impressed with Eli Goree who plays Muhammad Ali and Kingsley Ben-Adir who plays Malcolm X. It was evident quite early on that these actors had done their research and both really captured the essence of who they were portraying. Leslie Odom Jr. who played Sam Cooke was also excellent, and given his Broadway fame, it was easy to see why he was playing this legendary singer.
So I have to say that I very rarely watch films like this. I understand that naturally due to the premise of the film it was always going to be a fictional account based in real-life history, but most biopics seem quite boring. ‘One Night in Miami’ is quite different. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain moments in the film where the pace lags, but I think overall it was an excellent concept. I also think the film gives you so much to think about, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In all honesty, I can’t remember the soundtrack very much because I found myself quite deeply invested in the film. However, music does play quite a pivotal role in the plot, especially given the inclusion of Sam Cooke as one of the main characters. Overall, I’d say that the conversion of this movie from its play was fairly effective and I could certainly see this film winning awards! If you’ve not seen it, go see it!
Rating:
Story: ★★★★
Acting: ★★★★
Cinematography: ★★★½
Music: ★★★
Enjoyability: ★★★½