3. Malcolm X (Malcolm X)
Malcolm X is certainly a very influential figure in history, and Spike Lees movie really explores him in detail but adapts the details well and captures much of its protagonists spirit, not only because it uses Malcolm Xs autobiography, but because of what it does with it. Its a vibrant and powerful movie, really conveying believably all the transformations Malcolm went through (at least in terms of the ideas behind them) over the course of his life. It helps you get to the heart of who he was, and thats what the best biopics should be, really helping you not just understand but feel who the protagonist was, and what their lives and deaths meant to the world, to those they knew, and to themselves, at least as the best as the filmmaker can. Part of the reason this is so is because the movie was able to be given the epic treatment. To successfully convey Malcolm Xs life, Spike Lee stuck by what he felt was needed in terms of budget and running time and ended up getting some of the funding independently from many famous black public figures to complete the project. And in Malcolms case, it was definitely worth it, especially because Malcolm X was the kind of person who didnt take the world at face value. He constantly questioned the assumptions we are born into. This movie had to be able to convey themes that cant always be processed in sound bites or the usual movie scenes. It is its own kind of story. The movie also uses this artistically by not completely following the stereotypical biopic formats and emphases in its themes. Spike Lee employed some really great ideas in this movie, from the narrative level to the visual level. Hollywood can really do a lot of different kinds of biopics. A movie like Malcolm X is incredibly thought-provoking.