One Night In Miami (2021)

The thing about movies from a certain era is that many times the lessons provided are not heeded and thus it causes further issues decades into the future.  One Night In Miami, the directorial feature debut of actress Regina King, tells the story of four famous men who are trying to battle racism and segregation by talking out their struggles in the hope that each person learns from another member of that group.  The men involved in that dialogue are: Malcolm X (Kingsley Bin Adir), Casius Clay (Eli Gorey), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).  All of these men will eventually walk legendary paths that reach into future generations but the conversation taking place is about how they are all individually fighting for a seat at the table.

When you’re Black in America racial progress is a difficult goal to strive for or achieve.  This is regardless of whether we are speaking about the past or the present.  Regina King does so much simple camera work to illustrate the state of mind of each character in the opening 20 minutes.  She showcases each person at the height of their celebrity which is a drastic contrast to the inner conflict faced by Malcolm, Casius, Jim, and Sam.

There are two standouts of this film.  The first is Kingsley Bin Adir as Malcolm X.  Adir performs Malcolm as the man of action we’ve always read and seen him portrayed to be but unlike other portrayals of the civil rights leader he is vulnerable.  Malcolm is fearful but resolute as he believes change for the nation can only come when other powerful people with exposure lend their voices to the struggle of surviving in a segregated racist society.  Casius joining that cause and allowing himself to be part of that sea of change is crucial in Malcolm’s mind for the Nation of Islam to have a higher platform to speak on during the civil rights movement.  The scene involving Malcolm pressuring Sam to lend his considerable talent to the cause is heartbreaking as Cooke sees himself as a pawn in a larger plan whereas Malcolm sees the singer as a vocal instrument of injustice.

The other standout performance comes from Eli Gorey.  To my knowledge, this actor is a relative unknown but what he does with embodying the Kentucky boxer is a knockout.  Gorey makes sure that Clay stands up for himself in this film and that the boxer is no pushover whether he is boasting about his success or deeply contemplating his future in relation to switching to Islam.  He works hard to give American’s champion layers of emotions and deep dimensions of thought Will Smith never conceived with his portrayal.

One Night In Miami has strong performances but those moments between the characters mean next to nothing if the dialogue doesn’t justify the plot.  Kemp Powers before writing Disney’s Soul wrote an adaptation of his play and the words sparkle with intensity and meaningfulness from the mouths of the actors.  The greatest compliment I can give this film is that it implores you to be present within the lives and conversations of these men.  The one moment of dialogue that hit me involves Jim Brown helping an elderly white friend and the conversation they have may sound unimportant but its conclusion had such a ripple effect on me that I sat open mouthed for five minutes.

Movies exist to challenge the past and inform the future and that is what I believe Regina King kept as her ethos for this film.  Assuming she continues to use her directorial skills to educate and inform, One Night In Miami may prove to be just an appetizer of the stronger work she will create.