Regina King’s wonderful directorial debut film One Night in Miami has received considerable praise and acclaim in the USA and international film festivals. It is a fictional account of an actual event that took place in Miami, Florida, in February 1964 – a meeting between four legendary African-American men who were close friends – Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown, and Cassius Clay. The reason why the four friends were in Miami was to support Cassius Clay in his fight against Sonny Liston to become the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. After the fight in which Cassius Clay is successful the four meet in the confines of Malcolm X’s hotel room. What happens next is an explosive and provocative debate about male friendship, race, power, celebrity, and influence that has deep resonances with today.
The film begins with four prologues involving the four men prior to Miami. Each prologue is about facing racial prejudice and discrimination, either by ‘white’ people or as in the case of Malcolm X amongst his own Islamic ‘Brotherhood’. Malcolm X is the instigator for this private meeting in his hotel room. Whereas the other three are currently enjoying a sense of freedom and success in a ‘white’ man’s world, the walls are closing in on Malcolm X, complemented by the confines of his heavily guarded hotel room.
After the initial high testosterone comradery, the real reason why Malcom X has gathered his friends together becomes clear. In the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy his is aware that his days are perhaps numbered. What he wants is a commitment from his friends to the ‘black rights’ cause. In order to do this, however, he must rip off their respective masks of ‘white’ bourgeois capitalistic success. His first target is Sam Cooke. In a highly confrontational scene, whilst Cassius Clay and Jim Brown are trying to calm the situation down, Malcom X and Sam Cooke go for each other in a brutal exchange that climaxes with Sam Cooke leaving the room, followed by Cassius Clay in order to bring him back.
Then, in a far more calm scene Malcom X reveals to Jim Brown his desire for his ‘celebrity’ friends to use their current status as ‘weapons’ in the cause; something that the Jim Brown character completely rejects. When the others return it is then Cassius Clay’s turn – and the whole notion and reason of his turning to Islam and becoming Muhammad Ali is questioned. Understandably, considering the people involved, this scene explodes into violence.
The film then takes a surprising twist in another direction. Malcom X recounts an incident that we see in flash-back that he witnessed (ever the loyal friend) involving Sam Cooke. Treacherously betrayed by another celebrated African-American singer and musicians Sam Cooke suddenly finds himself confronted with a very hostile ‘black’ crowd. How Sam Cooke reverses this situation is a complete triumph and turns it all into a moment of ‘black’ solidarity is truly thrilling and is the emotional climax of this film.
This is truly an extraordinary film, very different from other recent US films. The screenplay by Kemp Powers, based on his 2013 play of the same name, is so full of intense multi-layered complexity that it stands well above other contemporary US political dramas. This bold engaging film is essentially dialogue-based and what is said and expressed is challenging and so thought provoking that it may stay with you for days – a sign of a good film. Furthermore, it is a brilliant example of ‘ensemble playing’, particularly by the four actors playing Malcom X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree).
One Night in Miami premieres on Amazon Prime, January 15th.
THOUGHT-PROVOKING 4.5 stars
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