ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – A Review by John Strange
I LOVE history. And I love “What if?” stories. One Night in Miami is a wonderful combination of the two. Set in 1964, the story has four icons of the era getting together following the Cassius Clay-Sonny Liston prize fight where Clay wins against heavy weight champion Liston at the Miami Convention Hall.
After the fight, Clay (Eli Goree) joins three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) in Malcolm’s hotel room. Their conversations give us a look at of some of ideas and views that were at the heart of the civil rights movement, complete with the feelings these men might have shared with each other.
Those conversations and actions are a window on an era that changed the world. These men were good men who were at the height of their fame. Each was in a different line of work, but each shared a similar view of their world.
Watching this film didn’t change me but it DID enlighten me. I thought I knew quite a bit about each of the four gentlemen, but lessons were learned as the film rolled on.
Director Regina King’s take of this story is both enlightening and deeply engrossing. I had never really thought of Malcolm X as a devoted family man. I knew Jim Brown was an excellent athlete and a good actor. I knew Sam Cook was an amazing singer. And I knew Cassius Clay/Mohammed Ali was a gifted boxer with a gift for trash-talking his opponents as his expertise defeated them in the ring.
But each man was so much more. And those attributes are highlighted in One Night in Miami in such a way that we are enlightened while enjoying the process.
Three things in this film really caught my attention, as they were intended to. The first is Jim Brown’s visit to a family friend on the island in Georgia where his family lived. The end of that scene illustrated the true South of the era, to our everlasting shame.
The second was Malcolm X’s record collection in the hotel room. Today we carry our music on our phones or laptops. His were vinyl platters, 45’s and LP albums, to be played on his record player. These albums were used to help both the men in the room and the audience learn an important lesson.
The third was Sam Cook’s public appearances. The first at the Copa Cabana where he plays to a white crowd. Then an appearance before a mostly black crowd. And finally, on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Christopher Gorham does an amazing job as Carson as he asks Sam to give us another song, a song that ties the whole film up in a nice neat musical bow.
This is an important film. One I hope will see award show attention. Films like One Night in Miami only come along once every few years. This one, with an amazing cast and a story needs to be acknowledged for its true 5-star value.
Director: Regina King
Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson with Beau Bridges & Lance Reddick
MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout)
Selig Rating: 5 Stars
Runtime: 110 Min.
Trailer: ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Trailer
Release Dates:
DFW Theatrical Playdates (January 8, 2021):
Cinemark West Plano 20 / Plano, TX
Movie Tavern Hulen Mall 13 / Ft. Worth, TX
Movie Tavern Denton 4 / Denton, TX
Majestic 12 / Greenville, TX
Amazon Prime Video: January 15, 2021
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
