Malcolm X (1992)
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The film follows the transformative life of civil rights activist Malcolm X from his criminal past to his leadership in the Nation of Islam.
The story
Malcolm X is a 1992 American epic biographical drama film about the civil rights activist Malcolm X. The film follows key events in Malcolm X's life: his criminal career, his incarceration, his conversion to Islam, his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam and his later falling out with the organization, his marriage to Betty X, his pilgrimage to Mecca and reevaluation of his views concerning whites, and his assassination in 1965. Defining childhood incidents, including his father's death, his mother's mental illness, and his experiences with racism are shown in flashbacks.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film depicts the life of Malcolm X, beginning with his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska, where his father was killed and he was placed in protective care. After a period of crime and incarceration in the 1940s, he meets Baines and joins the Nation of Islam, eventually becoming its spokesperson and changing his name to Malcolm X. The narrative follows his rise in the movement, his marriage to Betty Sanders, and his eventual break from the organization after learning of Elijah Muhammad's personal life. The film covers his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964 and his subsequent assassination in 1965. The film concludes with a series of clips showing the aftermath of his death, including a eulogy by Martin Luther King Jr. and a speech by Nelson Mandela.
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 202
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Spike Lee
- Writers
- Spike Lee · screenplay; Arnold Perl · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Denzel Washington · Malcolm X; Angela Bassett; Albert Hall; Al Freeman Jr.; Delroy Lindo; Spike Lee
- Genres
- biographical drama; epic
- Themes
- civil rights; identity; religion
- Tone and mood
- epic; serious
- Setting
- Various locations in the United States (including Omaha, Boston, New York City, Chicago) and Mecca, spanning from the early 20th century to 1965.
- Premise and plot tags
- biography; historical; political
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Denzel Washington's performance. It was noted as one of the best films of the 1990s by Roger Ebert and Martin Scorsese.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · review count: 79; Metacritic · score: 73 · scale: 100 · review count: 15; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- New York Film Critics Circle Award · Best Actor · win; Academy Award · Best Actor · nomination; Academy Award · Best Costume Design · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first non-documentary and first American film permitted to film in Mecca.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2010.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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