One Night in Miami

One Night in Miami
Starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
Directed by Regina King

There's an old saying: "oh, to be a fly on the wall."  It's usually used by people who wish to hear a conversation that happened away from earshot, because you know that conversation is something important or memorable.  On February 25, 1964, four of the most influential and powerful Black men in America met in a motel room in Miami, Florida, and the result was nothing short of mesmerizing, and indeed everyone wishes to be the fly on the wall in that room, for the conversation that took place shed light on the oppression of the Black community and the cultural upheaval of the 1960s as discussed by these four influential men.

Having just defeated Sonny Liston to become the world heavyweight champion, Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) agrees to a party hosted by his friend Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), with whom he recently confided in that he's becoming a member of the Nation of Islam.  Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) was also invited, along with famous musician Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.).  When the four men gather at Malcolm X's motel room, they expect a large party, but find out Malcolm X only invited them to discuss issues of racism in America as well as coming to blows with Cooke over Malcolm's views that his music is pandering to the White community and not making an impact on the Black community that Cooke claims to value.  Throughout the night, the men agree and disagree, find peace and come to blows, resulting in one of the most consequential motel room meetings ever.

First-time director (and Oscar winner) Regina King knocks it out of the park with "One Night in Miami," a film based off a play written by Kemp Powers (who also served as a screenwriter here) that serves as a fictionalized discussion that really took place, as no one outside the four men involved really knew what was discussed, and Jim Brown is the only participant still living to tell about it.  What happened in that room is up for speculation, but no doubt it changed all four men forever, and affected the world at large in amazing ways.

As the film was based off a play, there's not a lot of different set pieces (in fact, all the scenes that occur outside the motel was added for the film, and aren't included in the actual play), so the power of the film lies solely with the dialogue and performances of the lead actors, and each of them have big shoes to fill in more than one way.  Malcolm X was one of the defining voices for African American rights in America, and was also portrayed by Denzel Washington, so to fill his shoes is doubly difficult, yet Kingsley Ben-Adir does this with breathless ease.  He plays Malcolm X as a more-or-less soft spoken influencer who is deeply passionate about the equality of Blacks, and about his own Muslim faith, and often comes to blows with Leslie Odom Jr.'s Sam Cooke for both personal and public reasons, resulting in most of the tension crafted in the film.

Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) was a larger-than-life man both in and out of the ring, as he played himself in the film "The Greatest" and also by Will Smith in his Oscar-nominated role in "Ali," so again it was doubly difficult for Eli Goree to fill his shoes, but like with Ben-Adir, he manages to encapsulate the essence of Clay with every scene, focusing on his eventual turn to the Nation of Islam and his own issues with Malcolm X as his mentor. 

Jim Brown was equally as boisterous as Cassius Clay, but on the football field.  His record with the Cleveland Browns is unsurpassed, and he was just about to prepare for a new career in Hollywood, so he also has a lot to deal with on this fateful night.  Aldis Hodge plays Brown as a peacekeeper of sorts, but also not without his own problems, especially during an early scene with a family friend in his hometown who doesn't allow Brown into his house despite knowing him for years due to his color, and you can see the look in Hodge's face as something that transcends the film.

Malcolm X's main fodder lies with singer Sam Cooke, who was a well-known musician of his day, but someone who sang songs that appealed more to White folk than Blacks, and Malcolm felt that Cooke was downgrading the importance of racial equality in favor of making more money.  As Malcolm's antagonist, Leslie Odom Jr. plays Cooke with a suave sophistication and glitzy glamor you'd expect from a musician, but also doesn't take things lying down, as he gives as much as he gets from his banter with Malcolm X, and it's to Odom's fantastic acting ability that makes the whole thing believable. 

The comradere and chemistry between these four actors fueled the film to exceeding heights, and serves as a fantastic launchpad for Regina King to step out from front of the camera and direct more thought-provoking work.

Led by four stellar performances and a more-than-capable director behind the camera, "One Night in Miami" showcases an important discussion about racism in America that's as prevalent now as it was then, told through the eyes of four of the most influential African American men of that decade.

The Score: A+