ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – A Review by Hollywood Hernandez
One Night in Miami is a fictionalized account of four African American icons coming together to celebrate Cassius Clay’s victory over Sonny Liston in Miami. The four icons are Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. The actors who play the four men, Eli Goree (Ali), Kingsley Ben Adir (Malcolm X), Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown) and Lesley Odom Jr. (Sam Cooke), all bear a striking resemblance to the men they play.
The movie, based on a play of the same name, is a realistic view of the struggles these men faced and the roles that each played during the civil rights movement of the 1960s and more so than any previous movie has done. One Night in Miami humanizes the men as real people who are all dealing with their own struggles and their place in history.
Regina King directs the film and breathes reality into the story. Although it’s a fictitious piece of work the story seems real and it makes you feel as if you are there witnessing the comradery of these four great men, who don’t always see eye-to-eye but who have a mutual respect for one another.
In One Night in Miami you really feel like a fly one the wall who’s observing a great night in history. The four lead actors give very believable performances and King’s direction is stellar as she creates a piece of fiction that feels as real as real life can get.
Whether they are real or not there are some scenes that give great insights to some of the deeds of the men. For example, there’s a scene where Malcolm X inspires Cooke to write “A Change is Gonna Come” by playing Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” while criticizing his sappy love songs in comparison.
One Night in Miami is incredible. At the end of the movie, you feel like you know so much more about these real-life characters in history. The movie opens in limited release in theaters this weekend and will be available on Amazon Prime Video starting January 15th. It’s a “must see movie” and on my Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate it a JUMBO!
