5 Civil Rights Movies That Are Great (And 5 That Are Offensively Awful)

4. Malcolm X (1992)

Without a doubt this 1992 Spike Lee masterpiece is the best work of both Lee himself, and his star Denzel Washington. The film is one of those rare three hour epics that is sprawling and complex, while remaining so narratively proficient and gripping that the time flies by. Rather than simply focusing on one specific moment of Malcolm€™s life, this ambitious artwork focuses on his early origins as a hustler going by the name of Detroit Red who conked his hair to look more white (and felt that a white woman was the ultimate possession), through to his prison cell conversion to Islam and subsequent battles to unite African Americans. The film also showcases his expulsion from the Nation of Islam, and his pilgrimage to Mecca and this reveals a more spiritual and gentle side of Malcolm often neglected to be told in mainstream narratives that trip over each other to be the first to declare Malcolm a violent radical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx4sEvhYeVE The film is one of the finest biopics ever made and is never heavy handed in its treatment of subjects. While Malcolm is obviously the protagonist and Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam come under criticism, the Nation€™s work in giving African Americans a chance to organise under a banner of self-respect (that contradicted the myths of savagery purported by mainstream white America at the time) is presented fairly throughout. Malcolm X both confirms our beliefs that Malcom was an inspiring catalyst for change and African American self-determination, while challenging the more racist and inaccurate views that he was simply a violent radical who hated white people. For this alone, it should be on any school curriculum dealing with this time in history.