I cannot imagine the hoops Spike Lee must have had to jump through to get any form of investment into either the concept or the production of this truly groundbreaking study of a man who divided opinion in a way few others have since the end of the Second World War. I say a study of man, but this is way more than just about him, it identifies and develops themes about inter and intra racial and gender attitudes and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. All of that said, it does struggle as a piece of entertainment. I don't mean to trivialise the subject matter, but if it wanted to be a documentary then it should have been more tightly focused on fact and less on the dramatisation of events, some real, some not. As a biopic, it kind of falls between two stools. We are presented with, essentially, a collective of unpleasant individuals who either started out that way, or were corrupted by the environments in which they existed and/or created - clearly illustrated, for example, by the way the women are treated by their husbands/bosses etc. This left me with an overwhelming feeling that had there been more general respect and decency on offer here - across the board - then a lot of the violence from both "sides" might have been avoided. It is a must see movie, but perhaps time has robbed it of much of it's potency and left us with a sad reflection of a time when vileness didn't care about your colour.

It's ironic. I love Denzel Washington. I am also quite fond of Malcolm X, not necessarily that I agree with his entire philosophy. I think in many ways that he did a great dis-service to the black community by leading many astray from the truth and love of Jesus Christ, and into a chapter of Islam that most fundamentalists would consider heretical and inconsistent with the teachings of Muhammed.

All that aside, Malcolm X was more true to his mission and authentic to his cause that many of the other voices in his time, especially Martin Luther King, Jr.

I didn't care too much for this movie, simply because it just wasn't as honest as I thought it would be. Malcolm X said many controversial things that were powerful, true, accurate, and that were completely omitted from this film... Especially of that SPECIFIC group of so-called "whites" that no one ever seems to focus on. X knew exactly who owned the liquor stores, the bad food stores, and did everything in their power to destroy the black community as they also do to the white community. keeping us in hatred of each other and too afraid to speak the truth in righteousness together as brothers and sisters in a struggle against our enemies.

It's a good movie. But for God sakes, know who the man really was before watching it.