One Night in Miami...

Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Lance Reddick, Christian Magby, Joanna Kalukango, Michael Imperioli, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Beau Bridges

Director: Regina King

Based on the stage play "One Night in Miami..." by Kemp Powers

A fictionalized account of a meeting between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) that took place in 1964 after Clay's surprising and historical defeat of Sonny Liston. What begins as a night of celebration quickly turns into a clash of political ideologies and beliefs as racial tension reaches a boiling point across America and each man defends the legacy they want to leave behind.

As racial tensions in our country reached their boiling point in 2020, I can't think of a more timely film to be released this year. We are almost 60 years removed from the events presented in the film but the conversation the four men have in the film isn't far removed at all from the issues that are reemerging in our society today. The film has a lot to say about racism (past and present), but is expertly told through the eyes of these four larger than life characters who all have an opinion about social justice/injustice and the role of successful black people in society and the pressures they face.

The film is the feature film directorial debut of actress and recent Oscar winner Regina King and it is one of the strongest and most memorable debuts I can remember. Based on a stage play written by Kemp Powers, who also adapted the screenplay, the film doesn't veer far from its theatrical roots but that works in its favor. King often finds creative ways to film the scenes and relies on her talented actors to bring the material to life.

And what a cast she has at her disposal! Of the four main actors, the most well known is Leslie Odom Jr., the Tony Award winning star of Hamilton. While he obviously has the chops to portray singer/songwriter Sam Cooke, his emotionally raw performance here launches him to the next level. He not only has a showstopping clash with Ben-Adir's Malcolm X but also left me in tears in a musical performance that closes the film. As good as Odom is, the rest of the cast matches his intensity frame for frame. Aldis Hodge, who was overlooked for his heartbreaking performance in last year's Clemency, once again proves his star making talent. Eli Goree could have easily slipped into caricature as Cassius Clay. Instead, his performance is focused on Clay's own doubts about becoming Muslim and finds real pathos underneath Clay's loud personality. As good as they all are, their relationships to one another as well as their beliefs have been well set up by Kemp's script and gives the actors material they can really sink their teeth into. I think the script as well as all four acting performances merit considerable awards consideration.

Riveting from the get go and featuring an important and timely message, this well written and acted indie deserves as many eyeballs as it can get. Hopefully Amazon is able to give this unforgettable film the push it deserves. One of the year's best.

Grade: A

One Night in Miami... will be released in theaters on December 25th and on Amazon Prime on January 15th