This film has been on my "To Watch List" for a while now. And I'm a little mad at myself for waiting for so long because it was such an incredible story.
One Night in Miami... is based on a stage play by the same name. It's a fictional account of what happened in a room at the Hampton House between Malcom X, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, and Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay), after Ali's monumental win against Sonny Liston.
The screenplay has the icons discussing their roles in the Black Community and the Civil Rights Movement. There's no real account of what actually happened this night, other than that it did happen. All of the conversations are what screen-and-playwriter Kemp Powers would imagine the men having based on what we know about them and what was happening in their respective lives at the time.
In the film, Cassius Clay has just won the heavyweight championship. He's on the verge of joining the Nation of Islam with Malcom X. Malcom invites the 3 other men to his hotel room, for what they assume is a party. But, they learn they are the only ones invited. What unfolds are tough conversations, tension, and eventual understanding.
I don't want to give anything away, but the film is incredibly powerful with some harsh truths about the time. Some of those harsh truths we're still dealing with today. We see young men with the weight of the world on their shoulders. How they hold themselves and each other to high standards to prove themselves.
The movie ends with Leslie Odom Jr as Sam Cooke singing "A Change is Gonna Come" on the Tonight Show. Combined with the themes of the movie, knowing the outcomes of some of the stories, and the song itself, I was in tears. Leslie, best known for his role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton, of course sings the song brilliantly. It's a powerful message from not only the original, Sam Cooke, but Leslie himself.
The four men playing the historical figures: Kingsley Ben-Adir (Malcom X), Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown), Leslie Odom Jr, and Eli Goree (Cassius Clay), are perfectly cast. I can't pick a stand out because they all bring so much to the characters.
If you love historical fiction, like learning about the Civil Rights Movement, or just like good drama, I highly recommend the movie.