Hello readers! I’ll get right into this and say if you have access to Amazon Prime Video WATCH THIS MOVIE! If you watched it already then WATCH IT AGAIN! Major kudos to Regina King for her directorial debut. Her direction and screenplay by Kemp Powers is rightfully receiving praise and accolades. This film is adapted from the play of the same name and is set around a fictional meeting in Miami. You may have heard of the attendees….

It’s February 1964 and Cassius Clay has become boxing’s heavyweight champ. After his bout he meets with Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. Now this is supposed to be a celebration but it turns into so much more. The 60s was a tumultuous decade for Black people in America, to say the least. Each one of these men was a prominent figure and they were all up against racism and dealing with personal problems. As a Muslim Malcolm explains the need for urgency to stand against oppression against Blacks however Cooke and Brown don’t agree with everything he says. It’s an interesting crossroad for Clay, who is contemplating devotion to the Nation of Islam, but he still has reservations. You see the clash in ideals and as Jim Brown states….”We aren’t all the same.” You feel the emotions as these men deal with the times they were living in and how they planned to use their influence in a world that wanted to keep their voices suppressed. Even though this meeting didn’t actually happen the actors made it feel real. Their differences created compelling dialogue. The conflicts were loud and in your face. The dynamics to resolve the conflicts felt personal. I never heard of Kingsley Ben-Adir until this film but his performance as Malcolm X had a lot of emotional depth. Aldis Hodge plays a young Jim Brown and even though his role was the lesser of the 4 his performance was good. Eli Goree and Leslie Odom Jr knock it out as Cassius Clay and Sam Cooke. Goree had Clay’s mannerisms down. Odom is a singer and songwriter and he was able to channel that into his portrayal of Cooke. Odom’s performance stood out to me. I appreciated how he was able to command the screen at certain points but also able to take a backseat. For me it’s a bit harrowing seeing films about real people and past events. Retrospect is crazy because later that year Sam Cooke was shot and killed and early 65 was when Malcolm X was murdered. Their influence and mark on American society still lives on. Clay became Muhammed Ali and also one of the greatest boxers ever. Arguably thee greatest. Ali recently passed but he will be quoted and imitated for a LONG time. Jim Brown is the only one who is still alive. He made his mark as one of the greatest players in the NFL and he’s also starred in a few decent movies. He’s my dude in Mars Attacks! So if you have the ability to check out One Night In Miami… please do so. I highly recommend it. Strong dialogue, performances and direction. BRAVO BRAVO!

See my live review here: https://www.facebook.com/324698124776582/videos/248593186648632

CHEERS!
Migs Rodriguez