Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A must see film
One of the most brilliant films ever made. Another reviewer, E. Hazell is correct, if maybe even understated in comparing this film with von Sydow's portrayal of Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and B. Kingsley in "Ghandi". Without question, the portrayal by Denzel Washington of Malcolm X belongs with these two classic efforts.The screenplay closely follows Alex Haley's collaboration with Malcolm X on his autobiography, from his early days as a hustler and pimp, to his transformation and his rise to prominence in the Black Muslims and beyond. In so doing, it traces much of the history of the twentieth century African American experience As another reviewer so inelegantly (and ungrammatically) put it, Malcolm Little sold drugs and women, robbed and lived in the underworld. However, this recognizes far less than half of this compelling and incredible story. This beginning was important only to underscore how far he ultimately came, and leads the viewer to wonder what would have happened had he not been murdered. Wonderful casting including Angela Bassett as his wife Betty, DelRoy Lindo and particularly Al Freeman Jr. as Elijah Muhammad. It was a rather predictable crime that Spike Lee, Denzel Washington and this film did not dominate the Academy Awards.
Rating:  - Fine biopic is hurt by awful coda
When I watched Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" on TV, it was a pleasurable surprise. Despite the film's three-hour-plus length, it was never boring and it managed to keep me interested until the last five minutes or so.It tells the story of Malcolm X and shows the enormous changes he went through in his remarkable life. Though the film often fails to take a really intimate look at Malcolm X, Denzel Washington's superlative performance successfully counters this weakness. He keeps us interested in this man, despite the fact, that Lee's film, though it is exquisitely filmed, lacks the courage to explorethe person Malcolm X. The film rather deals with the historical figure of Malcolm and the key events of his life. This makes his picture sometimes seem more dutiful than dramatic. Still, "Malcolm X" is one of the best biopics, not only because of Denzel Washington and the other very good actors. I also liked the cinematography by Ernest Dickerson, the music and the production design which added to the authentic mood of the movie. If Lee had ended his movie five minutes earlier, I would have given it four stars, but unfortunately, he made the disastrous decision to add a closing coda that one can only call embarrasing. It's nothing else but clumsy propaganda and nowhere near the subtlety that the rest of the film displayed. It even features Nelson Mandela who seems to feel uncomfortable in front of a film camera. Maybe Lee was afraid of the subtlety of his picture and feared that someone couldn't get the message. I know that this is just speculation. Whatever his motives were, he didn't do his film a favour.
Rating: - Why No Oscar?
To this day, "Malcolm X" is one of my all time favorite films. It is a shame that some of the greatest performances are ignored while equal or lesser performances are praised. For example, Denzel Washington won for "Glory" (a great film) but lost with "Malcolm X" and Laurence Fishburne lost with "Othello" and won for "Whats Love Got to do With It" (an inferior film). And all this while there are screams of discrimination in Hollywood. Denzel wins for a powerful slave role, but not for a controversial figure. Laurence wins for an abusive husband, but not for an awsome portrayal of a Shakespeare character in an inter-ethnic relationship. Not only is "Malcolm X" one of Washington's greatest performances, it is Spike Lee's greatest achievement so far and I own all of his films. It is a daring, insightful, and moving experience. Brother Malcolm's entire experience can be an inspiration to us all, regardless of our background. I feel it is an important film for all to see.
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