Dog’s Movie House: “One Night In Miami” Riveting “What If” Moviemaking!

“One Night In Miami” starts with the actual fight in which Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) shocked the world by beating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship. The idea is that the four friends are going to meet at the Miami hotel where Malcom X (a riveting Kingsley Ben-Adir) for an after party. Things are not what they seem, though, as Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Brown (Aldis Hodge) show up and find out that Malcom X has a lot more on his mind than just a celebration. Turns out Malcom has been grappling not only with Cassius joining the Church of Islam but with breaking from the Church himself. This leads to several discussions between the four friends about what it means to be young, black and powerful during this time as well as the limits of that power.

The film feels a bit like a stage play as it mostly takes place in the hotel room, but like “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” this serves only to enhance the performances and the dialogue. Written by Kemp Powers from his own play there is a sense of timely relevance to the narrative even though the events of the film are almost sixty years old. Only in a few key scenes does the action shift to other areas: most notably in a flashback seen where Malcom remembers seeing Sam Cooke perform for the first time, improvising wonderfully when Jackie Wilson sabotages the sound.

As directed by King, the cast is electric. Goree does a terrific job embodying Clay with a fully rounded humanity. That’s a tough road to hoe without parodying Clay’s trademark speech patterns. The same goes with Hodge as Jim Brown. Hodge not only looks the part: he nails the combination of toughness and considered intelligence that is the hallmark of Jim Brown’s character. The scene on the rooftop when he shuts down Malcom’s head bodyguard (played with icy authority by Lance Reddick) is one of those “holy shit” moments you experience from time to time in the best films.

The most intense dynamic, however, comes from the conflict of ideals between Malcom and Cooke. Odom and Ben-Adir take verbal jousting to a whole new level as Malcom believes Cooke should be doing more with his power to raise black people up, while Cooke makes the equally compelling counter-argument that by owning the masters of his music, providing royalties to black musicians as a producer, and making sure that everyone in his employ is making money, Cooke is doing more for black people than Malcom ever did. There is no clear winner here and each man has a valid, if flawed argument. It makes for an electric debate and a terrific film.

“One Night In Miami” is what happens when an excellent script and wonderful performances meet, making for a cinematic experience that is as exciting as any comic book tentpole or space opera. Truly outstanding entertainment that entertains and informs in equal measure. 5 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

As a companion piece, you really want to watch the Netflix documentary “Remastered: The Two Killings Of Sam Cooke” an insightful look into the artist who was killed in a bizarre fashion and whose music would turn into the anthem of the Civil Rights movement. It kind of fills in the blanks and answers some of the questions you might have after watching “One Night In Miami” and is a damned good documentary in its own right. 4 1/2 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer!

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