Stream It Or Skip It: ‘One Night in Miami’ on Amazon Prime, in Which Four Black Luminaries Converge for Conversation

Amazon Prime now offers us a stellar actor’s showcase in One Night in Miami, a fictionalized version of a real-life hang session with four iconic Black Americans: Malcolm X, Cassius Clay (soon to be renamed Muhammad Ali), Sam Cooke and Jim Brown. The movie marks the directorial debut by Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress Regina King (so wonderful in If Beale Street Could Talk and HBO series Watchmen), based on the stage script by Kemp Powers, who also writes the screenplay. Additionally, the film establishes four up-and-coming actors — Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Leslie Odom Jr. — as official we-have-arrived stars. As Hollywood so often does, the film tidies up and stretches the reality of what really happened in a motel room in 1964, but that’s beside the point. It seeks not to submit to the historical record, but to speak about the state of being Black in America, here and now.

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Prelude: 1963. Clay (Goree) toys with his opponent, Henry “the Hammer” Cooper, like a cat with a cornered bug; although Clay’s arrogance results in getting knocked down, he eventually wins the fight. Cooke (Odom) takes the stage at the Copacabana and fights his way through a disastrous concert in front of a disrespectful and impatient older white people. Brown (Hodge) drives his Cadillac through his hometown of St. Simons, Georgia, and pulls into the driveway of family friend Mr. Carlton (Beau Bridges), who wanted to see him; Mr. Carlton greets him warmly, gives him a glass of lemonade, says to call him if he ever needs anything, then tells Brown that “n—–s” aren’t allowed in the house. Malcolm X (Ben-Adir) returns to his home in Queens, New York, greets his wife Betty (Joaquina Kalukango), laments that he’s too late to tuck in his daughters; they fret and argue about his plan to leave the Nation of Islam in the wake of his conflicts with leadership.

Now it’s Feb. 25, 1964. Malcolm checks into Miami’s Hampton House Motel, and soon welcomes Clay into his room. It’s the day of Clay’s fight against current champ Sonny Liston. Malcolm leads them in prayer. That night, Clay upsets the champ, with Malcolm and Cooke in the crowd cheering him on, and Brown on a microphone as a media commentator. The four men converge at Malcolm’s motel room to celebrate the win, but Malcolm doesn’t have drinks and women on the agenda, maybe to Clay’s disappointment, but definitely to Brown and Cooke’s. He does have some ice cream in the fridge — but only vanilla. “How’s that for irony?” Cooke quips.

These are four big personalities in one room, a dynamic combination. They argue and joke around, contentiously and affectionately, provocatively and defensively; they split up, come together, pair off. Brown reveals he just finished acting in a movie, and when he reveals his character is killed off halfway through, Clay laughs. Malcolm lets slip that Clay is about to announce his official membership in the Nation of Islam — and Clay is distressed when he learns that Malcolm will soon leave the organization. Cooke feels cornered when Malcolm accuses him of using his talent to pander to white people instead of being a strong Black voice; Malcolm plays Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and says to Cooke, “you didn’t write that.” Nobody’s praise or criticism seems unfounded. Points are made, perspectives questioned, friendships tested. But nothing comes easy, especially progress.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: What you may be inspired to watch after seeing One Night in Miami: Spike Lee’s extraordinary Malcolm X. Michael Mann’s underrated Ali, featuring Will Smith’s best performance by far. The exemplary When We Were Kings, one of the great sports documentaries. Netflix doc The Two Killings of Sam Cooke. And Jim Brown’s Blaxploitation vehicle Three the Hard Way — or maybe also The Dirty Dozen and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.

Performance Worth Watching: Despite a slight de-emphasis of Brown’s character arc compared to the others, all four actors are equally strong, inspired and intently present. I hesitate to highlight one performance over another, but Malcolm is the character serving as dramatic catalyst, and Ben-Adir creates a thoughtful portrait of a man who seems laser-focused, intense and measured at all times, but is actually churning with inner turmoil, consumed by anger and paranoia.

Memorable Dialogue: “Just because I’m militant doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have a good time,” Malcolm says, not yet realizing all he has to offer is vanilla ice cream.

Also, Brown sums it up succinctly: “This is one strange f—in’ night.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: You won’t be shocked to learn that King is as adept at inspiring vigorous and credible performances as she is at giving them. The four principals are bold and confident in their characterizations, which take the necessary nonverbal steps away from celebrity impressions while still indulging familiar verbal affectations. Where Ben-Adir’s Malcolm cuts through the steely facade of the man’s public persona, so go the others — Odom’s Cooke is thorny beneath his honey-butter singing voice, Hodge’s Brown tempers the NFL’s star’s simmering ferocity and it’s novel to see Goree render Clay vulnerable and subtly tame his outsize braggadocio.

An emphasis on acting is often par for the course with stage adaptations — to emphasize visual dynamics might distract or diminish from the source material’s intent. Similar to Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, One Night on Miami finds creative camera angles within one or two central set pieces, and hones in on the cast. The performances in Ma Rainey are ferocious; those in Miami are comparatively subdued and philosophical, less about personal experience and more about the character and circumstance of America. Spurred by Malcolm, Clay, Brown and Cooke discuss the relationship of power to art and commerce in the Black community. Malcolm pushes them out of comfort zones; they push back against his you’re-in-or-you’re-out worldview, especially Brown, who confronts him with the divisions among Blacks themselves. It’s challenging, engaging, insightful and before you know it, the film’s two hours have expired, and King and Kemp have made the most of the moment.

Our Call: STREAM IT. One Night in Miami offers both vital topicality and extraordinary acting.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream One Night in Miami on Amazon Prime