One Night in Miami
“Sam, I was always this person.” “Maybe, but you were also always more.”
Summary:
Based on a true story, One Night in Miami follows the story of four main characters: Malcolm X, a vocal activist and a member of the Nation of Islam, Sam Cooke, a singer and songwriter, Jim Brown, an NFL star turned actor, and Cassius Clay, a heavyweight boxer. At the beginning of the movie, all these characters lead separate lives as they travel through the obstacles life gives them. All their paths cross at once when they all meet for the night of Cassius’ final for the heavyweight championship. After the emotional victory, the four friends return to their hotel room, and ideals and arguments break out.
Characters
Cassius Clay a boxer who will one day be known as Muhammad Ali is considered one of the best boxers in the world. After winning a match and becoming the world heavyweight champion he plans on celebrating with his friends that night and he also has an announcement about his faith that he is anxious to announce. Malcolm X is a Muslim activist who has been preaching strong action by the black community to end their oppression. Though he is not well-liked by the government nor the majority of white people due to his strong words and opinions. He has hopes for his night with his friends to inspire his friends to take action and join him. Jim Brown is an NFL star who is just coming off of a record-setting season with the Cleveland Browns. Jim is known for using his position as a famous football player to advocate for black rights. Sam Cooke is a famous singer who is the most financially successful of the four and has the best relationship with white people. This relationship creates a bit of strain for Sam as the others but especially Malcolm feels he could do more.
Sebastian: 9.0/10
This is a slow-paced and dialogue-heavy film that I thoroughly enjoyed. For one I like movies that include real people or events and while the events of this film are fictional the people who are our protagonists are real and they did, in fact, meet in Miami but it is unknown what they truly discussed. From my limited knowledge of these famous figures, I felt that the actors gave an accurate and good portrayal of the historical icons and made them each feel relatable and you could easily see each one’s point of view. The film definitely has a larger focus on Cassius and Malcolm though it does a pretty good job balancing all four people and letting them have many interactions with one another. The main intrigue, at least for me, came from the differing opinions between Sam and Malcolm and their arguments kept me engaged throughout. This movie isn’t a plot-focused story as it mostly takes place in a motel room but it is more so about the interactions of these four opinionated people. The movie deals with some real social issues that plagued the United States and the world back in the ’60s and continue to be issues such as racism and the oppression of minorities and I think it handles these subjects with well thought out discussions that bring to light that while the four have different methods they are fighting for the same thing. As someone who enjoys history and is interested in civil rights this movie works for me but I could see some have complaints due to the slow pace and the character rather than story-based narrative.
All in all, this is a really good movie that is right up the alley of history buffs and anyone who enjoys civil rights dramas. So if you are on Amazon Prime and looking for a drama that deals with some real-world issues and has some historical figures this might be the film for you.
Nathanyal: 8.5/10
One Night in Miami was a great movie for the back half of the film. Since this is a movie based on a true story, the film features commentaries on both racism and conflict of ideals. The best scene of this movie happens after the halfway point and is when Sam and Malcolm have their argument. This conflict of ideals captured my attention because it felt like a real argument. Both sides presented valid points, which made the argument authentic and captivating. After that argument scene, the way each character had their own personal responses showed great depth to character.
The only major downside this movie provides is the very slow beginning. With a slow pace and constant cutting around, it was hard to follow what is the real meaning behind the movie.
Overall, One Night in Miami is quite an enjoyable movie to watch after the halfway mark. Before that though, the movie is slow and hard to watch. But if you get to that captivating argument scene, you will be hooked for the rest of the film.
Austin: 8.5/10
This movie drops us back in time, with a pretty notable cast of characters. It starts off very slow, but as the movie gets to the back half it picks up. The in-depth conversations and different points of view on some very pointed issues are super interesting and it gives you a few different things to think about. Although the characters are all real people many of the conversations were fabricated, but based on the quality of writing, it wouldn’t take much to convince me this actually happened. The characters are written based on some very classic qualities, but the dialogue is smooth and thoughtful. This writing is amplified by the good acting we see throughout the emotionally charged debates. These debates and conversions are what holds this movie together. It’s a drama with very little plot, by design, but unlike movies such as DNA, it does well without a deep plotline.
This movie provides an interesting look into the relationships between Malcolm X and Cassius Clay, as well as the different points of view in the black community in those times. I wish the movie would have jumped into the discussions earlier because the first half hurt the overall quality of the movie. The development took too long for my liking, and it took away from a great second half. You can find this one on Amazon for your enjoyment!
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