Denzel Washington is a swell, pure gold actor, he can save and grace any movie he is in, and yes, he is great here, but this endless, unimaginable 3 hour and a half mammoth kills all his endeavors and assets burying them under a lead stone sheet of pretentiousness, boredom, and what is the worst offender, a very heavyweight preachy tone which becomes more and more acidic sour and then simply makes you cringe and run for some lightweight family comedy. What is also wrong? Bad pacing, very badly conceived flashback scenes and a very very tedious plot. Generally, such films are often a victim of their own weight - they sink like a marble brick, and they are too wordy. Like here, it is the same endless amount of smart speeches and oratories, but after two hours you feel a strong desire to switch to Mr. Bean or Benny Hill. Malcolm X was not a good man and he fell a victim of his own faith, we know that, and what he preached was wrong. So, no matter how much Spike Lee and Denzel tried, they failed to make us like this cold, ruthless, icy man of no sorrow. I felt no sorrow either for him or for his work, and the documentary footage of great late Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr only proved how much better this Baptist minister was than that loud and brash preacher. The film only hit the nail on the right head

First hour was just unnecessary long. Could have been concluded in 10 to 15 min. The transitional period in prison was where the film kicked in and never let go. As Muslim I was also provided by an unexpected message. Religious sects and parties are susceptible to corruption of its members and initial message which would normally be built upon some truth to reach the masses. At the end its not God whom they serve but their own goals and interests. Malcoom X was among the few who realized this corruption and broke free from it but everything comes at a price! May Allah reward him for what he's done. This is also true and would apply to other religious communities.

During the war years in Boston, Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) and his friend Shorty (Spike Lee) are zoot suit wearing, hair-straightening negroes about town. His father was a preacher in Nebraska urging a return to Africa and killed by the KKK. His mother was born to a black woman raped by a white man. He is taken by Sophia (Kate Vernon) and gangster West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo). He leaves his innocent black girlfriend and goes into a life of crime. Malcolm and Shorty are imprisoned for 10 years of hard times. In prison, he is befriended by Baines who introduces him to Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. He falls in love with Dr. Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett).Director Spike Lee dives into a fascinating historical figure with the great Denzel Washington. His charisma is perfectly translated and transformed on the screen. That's not to say there are no problems in this movie. The pacing is a little slow at times. I don't want Spike Lee to act in this movie. It's too much of a distraction. Spike does lay out his life very well and leaves it up to audience to some extent on what his life truly means. The movie probably needs somebody with less reverence to be more merciless in the editing room.

Spike Lee's Malcolm X is an outstanding example of a movie that stays to its source. However, I feel it is necessary to tell people that the novel written by Alex Haley with the help of Malcolm X is even more important than Lee's spectacular movie. In Lee's film, Malcolm never reaches the level of honesty that he does in the novel. Instead, Lee uses everything else in his arsenal to tell this compelling story. He tells most of Malcolm young life through flashbacks that just don't seem authentic and they feel rushed, but at the same time his use of color, lighting, and sound is phenomenal. The first third or so of the movie it runs through Malcolm's life as a hustler and during this time Lee uses very bright lighting and colors to give this part of the film a feeling of joy and it almost feels like it is to good to be true. However, in the novel there is a completely different feeling when reading it. You feel sorry for everything Malcolm had to go through as a child and reading about him making bad choices never really feels happy at all. Along with the color, Lee does an amazing job in large crowds. There is a scene when Malcolm arrives in New York and there is a huge gathering in the street and the camera zooms out but you never lose sight of Malcolm because he is the only one wearing somewhat bright clothes. Lee take on Malcolm being this beacon of light perhaps? If you are thinking about watching this movie I highly recommend it and it shouldn't be missed, but you shouldn't miss out on the novel as well. Each are very important stories told in different, but honest, ways.