Spike Lee didn’t just make a movie in 1992. He started a war. If you’re looking to watch Malcolm X film today, you’re basically tapping into three hours of lightning that nearly got smothered by Hollywood bureaucracy before the first frame even flickered. Most people forget how close we came to never seeing Denzel Washington’s career-defining performance because the studio ran out of money and the bond company tried to pull the plug. It took Oprah Winfrey, Prince, and Magic Johnson cutting personal checks to get this thing finished. That’s the kind of weight this movie carries. It isn’t just a biopic; it’s a monument that fought for its own right to exist.
Honestly, it’s a miracle.
The Performance That Should Have Won the Oscar
Let’s talk about Denzel. You’ve seen him in Training Day, sure. But his portrayal of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz is on a totally different level of existence. He didn't just memorize lines; he transformed. He stopped eating pork. He studied the Quran. He spent years—literal years—carrying around the Autobiography of Malcolm X until the pages were soft as fabric. When you watch Malcolm X film, you aren't seeing an impression. You’re seeing the evolution of a man from a small-time hustler named "Detroit Red" to a fiery orator in a sharp suit, and finally, to a global spiritual leader who realized that hate was a dead end.
The Academy gave the Best Actor Oscar to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman that year. Look, Pacino is a legend, but even he probably knew Denzel got robbed. The nuance in the transition from the prison scenes to the street corner rallies in Harlem is staggering.
Most biopics feel like a Wikipedia page with a budget. This feels like a seance.
Why Spike Lee Fought for Control
Initially, the studio wanted Norman Jewison to direct. Jewison is a great filmmaker—he did In the Heat of the Night—but Spike Lee wasn't having it. He argued that a Black director had to tell this specific story. He wasn't being difficult for the sake of it; he was protecting the soul of the narrative. He knew that the white gaze would likely soften Malcolm’s edges or turn him into a simple "angry man" archetype without the context of his internal spiritual struggle.
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Spike won. But then came the budget battle.
The film was massive. It was an epic. It needed to go to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Warner Bros. capped the budget at around $28 million. Spike went over. The bond company took over post-production. That’s when Spike called the "heavy hitters." He reached out to Black icons and told them the film was in jeopardy. They stepped up. When you see those sweeping shots of Mecca, remember that those frames were paid for by the private bank accounts of Black athletes and entertainers who knew the culture needed this.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Movie
A lot of folks think the movie is just about civil rights. It's not. Not really. It's a film about the terrifying, beautiful process of admitting you were wrong.
Malcolm X's life was lived in chapters that didn't match.
- The street hustler (Detroit Red).
- The prisoner who found a voice.
- The Nation of Islam firebrand.
- The man who saw the truth in Mecca and abandoned racial separatism.
If you watch Malcolm X film expecting a three-hour protest, you’ll be surprised by how much of it is a psychological thriller. The tension between Malcolm and Elijah Muhammad (played with chilling stillness by Al Freeman Jr.) feels more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a history lesson. It’s about betrayal. It’s about realizing the organization you gave your life to might be the very thing that takes it away.
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The Mecca Sequence is the Heartbeat
For a long time, Western cinema struggled to depict the Hajj. Spike Lee got permission to film in Mecca—a first for a non-Muslim film crew (though they had to hire a Muslim crew to handle the actual filming in the holy city). This part of the movie is where the colors change. The harsh, high-contrast reds and blues of Harlem give way to soft, golden, blinding whites.
It’s the pivot point.
Malcolm writes home about seeing blonde-haired, blue-eyed men he can call brothers. This wasn't "selling out." It was an expansion of his soul. If you skip this part or treat it as an epilogue, you’ve missed the entire point of his life.
The Technical Mastery You Might Miss
The cinematography by Ernest Dickerson is a masterclass in visual storytelling. Notice how the camera moves differently in the beginning. It’s kinetic and frantic when Malcolm is a criminal. It’s steady and looming when he’s in the Nation of Islam. It becomes ethereal and handheld during his travels.
And the score? Terence Blanchard killed it. The music doesn't tell you how to feel; it just underscores the gravity of the moment. It’s operatic.
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Does it hold up in 2026?
Actually, it feels more relevant now than it did in the 90s. We live in an era of "cancel culture" and radical reinvention. Malcolm X was the original king of the pivot. He was man enough to say, "I was wrong about what I said five years ago because I have more information now."
In a world of stagnant politicians and people afraid to change their minds, watching Malcolm's intellectual honesty is a gut punch.
How to Actually Watch it Properly
Don't put this on in the background while you're folding laundry. It’s 202 minutes long. It’s a commitment.
- Find the 4K Restoration: Criterion released a 4K UHD version recently. The colors in the Cocoanut Grove dance scenes are electric.
- Watch the Documentary First? Some suggest watching Make It Plain first, but I disagree. Watch Spike’s movie first. Let the emotion hit you. Then go read the facts to see how much they actually got right (it's a lot).
- Pay Attention to the Eulogy: The film ends with the actual voice of Ossie Davis delivering the eulogy he gave at Malcolm’s real funeral. "Our own shining Black prince." It’ll wreck you.
Actionable Steps for the Best Experience
To get the most out of your decision to watch Malcolm X film, don't just stream it on a tiny phone screen. This is a big-canvas movie.
- Clear your evening. You cannot rush this. If you break it into two nights, break it right after he leaves the Nation of Islam.
- Listen to the real speeches afterward. Go to YouTube and look up the "Ballot or the Bullet" speech. You’ll realize Denzel didn't just copy the words; he captured the cadence of a man who knew his time was running out.
- Read the ending carefully. The movie doesn't just end with his death at the Audubon Ballroom. It ends with his legacy. Look at the faces of the children at the very end saying "I am Malcolm X."
This film is a journey through the 20th century's most misunderstood mind. It’s loud, it’s long, and it’s absolutely essential. Go find the biggest screen you can, turn off your notifications, and just let it wash over you. You won't be the same person when the credits roll.
Resources and References
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley.
- Spike Lee's By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X.
- The 2022 Criterion Collection 4K digital restoration notes.
- Interview archives with Denzel Washington regarding his preparation for the role (1992-1993).