Every now and then comes a man....

Malcolm X (1992)

All through history, we have seen again and again this scenario. There will come a man who will try to change and improve mankind for the better. Unfortunately, the roads to this endeavour will always be paved with obstacles set by doubters with doubtful intentions and by perhaps detractors who want to steal the spotlight. And finally, this man's quest would meet a premature demise and mankind would be left in the lurch again. 

In essence, this is the summary of the story of Malcolm Short who changed his surname to X, the unknown surname of his ancestors from Africa and refusing the surname given to him by the slave-masters of his great grandparents.

He started life in the ghettos of Harlem after his preacher father's young family went through a harrowing experience in the hands of the KKK. His father was killed by them but it was written off as suicide.

The Real McCoy

Malcolm lived in the fast lane with booze, theft, racketeering and pleasures of the flesh as his forte until he was apprehended. During incarceration, a fellow prisoner introduces him to the teachings of an Islamic evangelist, Elijah Muhammad. Elijah promotes self-realisation and self-improvement which would uplift society in general. After his release from prison, Malcolm X becomes a fiery spokesperson/ preacher from Elijah's movement, Nation of Islam. As a loyal worker with undying loyalty to his boss, Malcolm's rise in the movement causes a lot of discomfort amongst its member and Elijah himself. Then comes a rumour, which turned out to be true, of Elijah and his affair with his secretary. Disillusioned with the callous admission of his guilt, a disappointed Malcolm leaves the Nation of Islam to start his own movement, Mosque Inc. 

Some of his strong-worded statements of current events of the day made many hot under their collars. His speech that implied the Kennedy assassination was due to its foreign policy - chicken coming to the roost- drew attention from the FBI.

Soon after starting a lecture, he was shot in cold blood by his enemies. 

During the short stint he was doing his divine duties, in his small way, he managed to straighten out the lives of many wayward going individuals, giving them self appreciation and self-respect and to follow the path of less self-destruction. Both Malcolm X and Dr Martin Luther King II fought for freedom for the Afro-Americans, albeit in their different ways. Dr King believed in passive resistance and walks. Malcolm X believed that people should free themselves from within and should fight for their rights even with violence!

This 3-hour movie created controversy even before production. The choice of director was debated and finally was decided upon a black director - Spike Lee. Then the idiosyncratic director exceeded its budget and had to be bailed out by successful black stars in Hollywood as a public service as the movie was about a black 'hero'. This movie also boasts of being the only Hollywood film to have obtained permission in the vicinity of the Holy Land.

A sterling performance by Denzel Washington as the main character.