It's hard to believe that this story is based on an actual true occurrence because from hearing the premise, one might think bringing these four legends together for one night might seem forced. However, this is really one of the best ideas for a stage production turned film, and I was genuinely curious as to what this would be throughout its entire runtime. Regina King's directorial debut One Night in Miami... is one of 2021's best movies so far and makes for a fantastic exploration into much-discussed themes like race, class, and white privilege. King is able to bring out some absolutely stellar performances from her cast along with adapting the script into a decently creative cinematic vision. I did have some issues with the direction and the actors' reliance on carrying the energy of the story but regardless of some underwhelming decisions, I can easily see this film entering the Oscars conversation without hesitation.
Civil rights leader Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), soul singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), NFL football star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), and renowned fighter Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) all meet up in a hotel room after Clay's success in a fight that night in Miami. As the four of them begin to unravel their reasons for being there, they take a turn into discussing some of the most pressing matters regarding the treatment of black people in America at the time. The script, written by Kemp Powers and adapted from his stage production of the same name, is one of the best parts of this entire film. Powers is able to tackle this story with a concise nature and tie together all of the themes that these icons discuss with grace and without making it seem strange. The fact that at one point in history, these four people actually were together in a room to this degree is captivating to me and I think Powers does a fantastic job of intertwining their morals and backgrounds to make for an interesting story. Seeing Malcolm X, Cooke, Brown, and Clay all agree with many things but also nearly get into physical altercations about other things is so compelling and the different degrees to which they are presented in this film makes for such a solid, bottle-episode premise. Powers is also able to tackle so many different ideas that these men bring up in argument and conversation, including race, position amongst white people, and religion, without ever making one seem less important than the other. Some of the causes that these men fought and stood for may seem more radical than others but Powers' script brings them all together to really give each of them a rich history lesson. My only issue with this story was King's direction in certain spots. This is a fantastic film for her to make her debut on and she proves to be more than capable of handling a story but I never once got a sense of what her individual style could be. Since One Night in Miami... is primarily set in the one location of the hotel room, it never gave King enough opportunity to test out her creative limits and I was just a bit disappointed that King was never quite able to show what I can only assume are her true talents as a director.
Regardless of how few locations and environments she was given to work with, King still succeeds in making the best out of the script and keeping this film as engaging as possible. One of the best parts about her direction, though, is how she is able to squeeze out good performances from every single member of this cast. From the main four men to the supporting cast such as Lance Reddick and Joaquina Kalukango, every cast member gave their all and it was so obvious how dedicated they all were to telling this important and contemporarily relevant story. Ben-Adir, Hodge, and Goree all brought just the perfect amount of charisma, confidence, and charm that their respective characters' personalities demanded but Odom Jr. is who actually stood out the most to me. I can easily see him snatching up a Best Supporting Actor award for this film because he was truly one of the best standouts. I don't know much of his acting work as much as I do his musical career but if there is one thing King is good at, it's blending her cast's talents together in the most effective ways. Not only was Odom Jr. the perfect pick for Cooke because of his actual musical abilities but the emotional range he brings to the role was sublime. I never knew of all the connections these men had to each other before watching this movie but Odom Jr. brings them all together with his character in such a grand way that I could not help but feel impressed by. The cinematography and editing throughout One Night in Miami... were fairly decent and helped to move along the story but more than anything, this movie is built to be a showcase for its actors. This is why it makes sense that it was previously a stage play and I am certain that the black actors involved in the stage production of this were just as committed to the roles. I really loved this film the more it went on and although it lacked a certain kind of luster to make it stand out more creatively, King crafts a movie worth watching by one and all.
One can only imagine what it would be like to be a fly on the wall for the conversations between these four icons on that one particular night and although Regina King's take might be a bit heightened for cinematic purposes, One Night in Miami... is a spectacular vision of that. This film is consistently engaging and really kept me in the minds and lives of these four men - enough so that I actually have been learning more about black icons and historical culture from movies than I ever did in school. I can definitely see a bright awards future for this film coming up soon and one that will hopefully begin to put King's name more on the map.
My Rating: ★★★½
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