One Night in Miami

— It’s an intriguing set-up. It’s 1964 and the civil rights movement is gaining momentum and there is an undercurrent of bigotry throughout the country. Sam Cooke, Cassius Clay, Malcolm X, and Jim Brown meet in Malcom X’s room at a Miami motor inn the evening Clay wins the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston. Ali is poised to announce he’s joining the Nation of Islam and changing his name. Over the course of the evening we get a look at each man's less public face, providing a glimpse into their own celebrity and the power associated with it, the different ways they can affect change, and the different ideologies represented. Reginia King does an admirable job of letting her actors and script shine, painting the backdrop of pivotal time in history. Unbeknownst to the world, over the next two years, Sam Cooke will be killed in LA, Malcom X will renounce the Nation of Islam and be assassinated, Jim Brown will retire from football, Muhammad Ali will refuse to be drafted into the military, the Selma to Montgomery March will take place, and the Voting Right Act of 1965 will be signed. [Amazon Prime streaming.]

---

[2020. 114 min. Directed by Regina King. Staring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom Jr..]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/one-night-in-miami-movie-review-2020