I LIKE TO WATCH #19 - One Night in Miami...

about 3 years ago (Edited)

The date is February 25 1964, a little more than 90 days after the assassination of JFK and The Beatles are making their first visit to America. The nation is in the midst of a great awakening in the struggle for civil rights.

One Night in Miami... is a fictionalized account of a consequential, real meeting between Malcolm x, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Cassius Clay, soon to be known as Muhammad Ali. I'd heard about this film and had it downloaded to my Amazon Prime collection, but finally got the chance to watch it last night.

And lemme tell you, it's good.

Directed by Regina King, this beautifully shot film earns the title of an instant classic. Telling us the story of four young black men,gathered together in a hotel suite,to use the unique gifts they have in order to end the oppression of African-americans.

At this time, black people were being beaten, lynched and denied the right to vote. Bernie Sanders was arrested in the fight against housing discrimination and Dr. King was touching the moral conscience of America.

The battle for the soul of a nation is captured perfectly in the form a meeting organized by Malcolm x, in order to guide the talents that each man possesses. The testy verbal battles between him and a surprised Sam Cooke, are the centerpiece of the film. The spectral presence of J. Edgar Hoover's G-men, are a constant reminder that both Malcolm X and Sam Cooke would both be killed not long afterwards. One could almost picture a paranoid Hoover, seeing these powerful men coming together as a threat to the power structure he helped build.

Regina King delivers a cinematic masterpiece that you won't want to miss. I couldn't imagine a better movie to see during Black History Month. So, drop whatever you're doing and experience One Night in Miami... It's Highly recommended.