8. Malcolm X - "I Am Malcolm X!"
Malcolm X is for the most part an excellent film that tells a pleasantly ambiguous tale about one of political history's most important figures, and also benefits from a superb Denzel Washington performance. However, it's also important to remember that this is a so-called "Spike Lee joint" after all, and anyone who has seen a Spike Lee film either before or since Malcolm X knows that the guy does not know the meaning of the word "subtlety"; he is an unapologetic provocateur, which in films like The 25th Hour can make for an affecting, workmanlike narrative, but in Malcolm X, its final scene just comes off as crass, tacky, and even cheesy. After depicting Malcolm X's tragic demise and making it clear that the whole ordeal sucked, while the man's legacy continues to thrive, we cut to South Africa on Malcolm X Day, where a bunch of kids start to exclaim, "I'm Malcolm X!". Really? This didn't feel excessive at all, Spike? Of course not.