Blu-ray Review: Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s Timeless ‘Malcolm X’

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CHICAGO – Spike Lee has been getting national buzz again after the Sundance premiere of his controversial “Red Hook Summer” and the ageless Denzel Washington is back in the spotlight as his latest action vehicle, “Safe House,” premieres in theaters on Friday. It seems a perfect time for a Blu-ray release to bring audiences back to one of their career highlights. Over twenty years ago, the two collaborated on their most artistically rewarding venture, the epic “Malcolm X,” a fantastic film that has held up remarkably well, in no small part due to the excellent HD transfer from Warner Bros.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

There’s an entire generation who probably has no idea about the controversy that swirled around Lee’s “Malcolm X.” First, it was originally going to be directed by Norman Jewison, which seemed like an unusual choice for a film about such an important figure of the civil rights movement. Denzel Washington, relatively fresh off his Oscar win for “Glory,” seemed like perfect casting but there was some concern as to whether or not Jewison would be the right fit. When Jewison left the project and was replaced by someone who had just collaborated with Washington on “Mo’ Better Blues,” it seemed too good to be true. Lee was a troublemaker whose “Do the Right Thing” was widely considered one of the best films of the previous decade. He would be perfect, with just the right mix of controversy and seriousness about his subject matter.

Malcolm X
Photo credit: WB

After “Malcolm X” was released, Spike Lee notoriously refused to be interviewed by white journalists for the film. The controversy somewhat overshadowed the fact that this is a stellar, ambitious, remarkable piece of filmmaking — Lee’s second-best fictional film to date (include his amazing documentary work in the conversation and “4 Broke Girls” and “When the Levees Broke” might compete). By the time the film was nominated for only two Oscars (when it deserved at least seven nods, including Best Picture), people were already forgetting about “Malcolm X.” And the fact that Washington lost to Al Pacino for “Scent of a Woman” for Best Actor is one of the Academy’s greatest errors in judgment.

Watching “Malcolm X” again twenty years later in a stellar HD transfer from WB, I was stunned at how little the film has aged. Washington is still absolutely amazing, capturing an entire life. Rarely has an actor been given such an arc, one that led to multiple critics awards (including Chicago) for Best Actor. And Lee’s technical craft here has been underrated. Yes, some of the period scenes seem to be a little too much for him to rein in for an audience, but people forget the sheer ambition of this film, one that runs 200 minutes. It’s an EPIC about a man who deserved storytellers like Spike Lee and Denzel Washington to bring it to life.

Special Features:
o Commentary by Spike Lee, Director of Photography Ernest Dickerson, Editor Barry Alexander Brown and Costume Designer Ruth Carter
o Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Spike Lee
o Featurette “By Any Means Necessary: The Making Of Malcolm X”
o Theatrical Trailer
o Oscar-Nominated 1972 Feature-Length Documentary “Malcolm X”

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com