‘One Night in Miami’ Review: The Fight Don't Stop
By Aly Honoré
Published Jan. 29, 2021
A small gathering of four of the most influential Black men in recent history after the Heavyweight Champion of the World-changing fight, directed by entertainment leader, Regina King, proves a riveting film adaptation we didn’t know we needed. “One Night in Miami,” originally a play by Kemp Powers - debuted in 2013, stories a familial, but contentious night in a quaint hotel suite during a pivotal time in the lives of Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Cassius Clay - who we now know as the late, honorable, Muhammad Ali. All four men bring something particular to Black celebrity. This is discussed in the bulk of the film, a fierce exchange of words between X and Cooke drives the idea of obligation to the Black community affected by the intensifying racial climate of the ’60s. What stands out, however, is not the very obvious topic of Black celebrity, but the nuanced sidebars the men share with each other. I found this to be the most refreshing element of the film. Masculinity intersects with success, responsibility, and vulnerability.
‘One Night in Miami’ Movie (2021)
The film sets the context with a few early scenes. The growing rift between X and Elijah Muhammad sets the stage for his departure from the Nation of Islam. Cooke’s show at the Copacabana, a longtime dream of his, is met with isolating racism from the audience. Brown is feeling commodified at the NFL while new opportunities for him emerge in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the youngest of the bunch, Clay, has just won the title as Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. Having been taken under X’s wing, Clay is apprehensive about his transition to being a Muslim. Their brotherly dynamic is endearing but always footnoted by X’s increasing anxiety about his relations with the Nation of Islam. The lowkey after-party between the four is hosted by Malcolm who, rather than being the confident man emitting brilliance that we like to see him as, seems to be caving a bit to the various forces of the outer world that threaten him and his people. X’s mood serves as somewhat of a pilot for the night’s events.
What was supposed to be an exhale from recent tension and chaos for all the men abruptly takes a sharp turn when X and Cooke turn on each other. They get into a heated argument about what Malcolm believes is Cooke’s responsibility to the Black community. At this time in 1964, Cooke is the only one in the room that has yet to take a clear public stance in the Civil Rights Movement. They go back and forth on why this might be. X presses that his making music for ‘white folk’ and popular consumption without speaking up is doing a disservice to the movement. Why, how, or what qualifies as someone contributing to the Black community after reaching success becomes a question the audience is left to ponder. X’s self-righteousness is apparent, but it leaves one Black American to consider, is this self-righteousness if Malcolm X himself carried one of the most deliberate, organized, and successful movements in American history? If X popularized the activist theory that so many Black Americans hold dear today, should we take heed of his message? However, X’s approach, taking out a Bob Dylan record to degrade Cooke’s work for one, was poignant to say the least. Cooke explains the different ways he provides for Black people within the industry. He iterates his approach as not wanting a piece of the pie, but, “the goddamn recipe”. As a Millennial, one word came to mind-- Jay-Z. The conversation becomes particularly relevant here. Powers and King clearly made it appoint to contribute to the cultural conversation rather than reiterating it once again.
The two continue to fight about where the line must be drawn in the sand and it’s not until their words bring the room to a boil that they separate themselves. Brown and Clay act as diffusers, and in a truncated conversation between Brown and X, for just a moment, we get to go deeper. Brown briefly questions why The Malcolm X is so militant, so intense, so motherly about how others ought to interact with whiteness, and then it’s clear. These men were brothers. Explicitly tapping on the nerve of a nuanced conversation about Colorism, Brown asks if these hard lines he draws are about trying to prove something to white people, “...or is it about trying to prove something to Black people?”. Now I’m not sure how close the screen adaptation is to the actual night, but “One Night in Miami” is based on true events. The way each of these men are humanized - made vulnerable - is a gem that I thank Powers and King for allowing us to be apart of.
I would be remiss not to mention the captivating performances. Kingsley Ben-Adir gives a great performance as Malcolm X. Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke couldn’t have been better suited. Aldis Hodge gave another beautiful and gripping performance as Jim Brown. And Eli Goree was an absolute stand-out exceeding expectation as Ali with the very particular charisma the job required.
This night affects the following legacy-changing events to come for all four of them. “One Night in Miami” is, of course, relevant today, but still a much-needed reprieve from the madness. We get to sit and watch a riveting display of personalities that shaped an era. Black excellence and bravery at a time when it was much more dangerous to be unapologetically Black. Hats off to Regina King always, but particularly in this fortifying depiction of Black men.
One Night in Miami is streaming now on Amazon Prime and playing in select U.S. theatres.
Director Regina King
Writer Kemp Powers
Stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Lance Reddick
Rating R
Running Time 1h 54m
Genre Drama
Aly Honoré is a writer and media producer. She’s interested in film, art, and politics of or relating to Black culture, womanism, and/or race and gender studies.