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Actress Regina King chose a tall task for her first directing job: tell the story of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown interacting together.

That’s the general gist of “One Night in Miami,” and King’s directorial debut lands on all of the necessary shots. The four main actors — Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jr. and Aldis Hodge — shine in a film that revolves around discussions of issues regarding race relations and Black culture in the United States during the ‘60s. These conversations are still relevant and nuanced today.

“One Night in Miami” is based on Kemp Powers’ play of the same name, earning Powers the screenwriting credit on this film. A young Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), a boxer, is about to fight Charles L. “Sonny” Liston in Miami in 1964, and his friends — civil rights and religious leader Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Syracuse sports legend Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and singing great Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) are all in town. The rest of the film centers around their fictional conversations in Malcolm X’s hotel room after Clay’s win.

King’s biggest directorial strength is her patience and willingness to let scenes play out. There are very few long tracking shots or dramatic zooms, which allows the film to focus its energy more toward its characters and their challenging conversations. It works because of the strengths of the personalities on screen.

The film also gives us good glimpses into each figure’s real lives. The opening scenes of the film showcase each figure before the fight in a moment where they are dealing with the real world around them. From the beginning, “One Night in Miami” humanizes its main characters, acknowledging their celebrity status while also giving us a brief peek behind the curtain. These scenes preview their individual conflicts and personalities that they bring into the hotel room conversation.

When they do converse, the four stars bring out the fireworks. They’re each coming at the issues and struggles of Black Americans from slightly different perspectives, making for fantastic conversation. Their chat comes off completely naturally, with different topics and challenges being presented for each figure.

Not to mention, all four main actors are fantastic. Odom — well known for playing Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” — is predictably well-cast as Cooke. He gets several moments to showcase his vocal chops (with help from composer Terence Blanchard) and range as an actor, and he comes off as charismatic and thoughtful.

Hodge excels as the former Syracuse football star. He acts a bit as a fourth wheel role at points, but he still creates a compelling, rich character who throws his weight around when necessary. Goree brings a burst of energy as a young Ali, perfectly capturing the swagger and confidence of “The Greatest.”

Ben-Adir might have had the most difficult role in portraying Malcolm X. But he acts the role expertly, playing Malcolm X with the dignity and the frustrations of a man trying to buck the system – while also dealing with having a target on his head because of his then-controversial beliefs.

All four characters display their different responses toward racism, including microaggressions in ‘60s culture, that express their aggravation with American society at the time. They cover so many aspects of their current psychological states and whether they are doing enough to support their fellow Black Americans. They also talk about going out and celebrating Clay’s win and enjoying one another’s company.

That’s the genius of “One Night in Miami” — Kemp and King never paint the men as perfect figures; they are all complicated people with some unflattering characteristics, to put it lightly (especially in the case of Brown, and the sexual assault allegations against him). The film’s interpretations of these figures give us a peek into their lives and their celebrity status while discussing each person’s purpose and how far people should go in support of a larger cause.

That said, the film is a fascinating character study of four of the largest Black icons of all time, analyzing their statuses and personas within the context of the ‘60s and now.

Published on January 26, 2021 at 4:46 pm

Contact Patrick: pagunn@syr.edu