One Night in Miami… (2020)- BFI London Film Festival 2020

Review

110min

Genre:       Drama

Director:     Regina King

Cast:         Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom Jr.…and more

Writers:     Kemp Powers

-Synopsis-

During the aftermath of Cassius Clay’s historic heavyweight championship victory over Sonny Liston in 1964 and on the eve of his conversion to Islam, cultural icons and leaders of the black community Clay, Muslim minister Malcolm X, soul legend Sam Cooke, and NFL superstar Jim Brown come together to celebrate, only to end up existentially clashing over their role in the civil rights struggle for equality, and how to best take power as disenfranchised African-Americans.

No one could accuse Regina King of being a one-hit-wonder or overnight sensation, having spent the best part of the last three decades steadily building her reputation as a talented and reliable character actor and supporting star, from her big screen debut in 1991’s ‘Boyz n the Hood’ through appearances in ‘Jerry Maguire’, ‘Legally Blonde 2’, and ‘Ray’, not to mention key supporting roles in several TV series. But the last few years have seen her star reach new heights, culminating in an Oscar-winning turn in 2019’s ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ and the Emmy-winning lead role in hit superhero series ‘Watchmen’.

And now after years of experience helming TV movies and series episodes, the L.A. native completes her transformation into filmmaker with a period story which couldn’t be timelier. As she joins forces with playwright Kemp Powers to adapt his 2013 chambre piece stageplay into her directorial debut, delivering both a finely judged intimate character portrait of iconic 20^th century figures and a prescient historical meditation on being black in America.

Eli Goree stars as newly-crowned heavyweight champ Cassius Clay, having a get-together with his renowned friends at a Miami hotel and celebrating his historic victory while contemplating his conversion to the Nation of Islam under the tutelage of Muslim minister Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), himself at a point of great flux in his life. But things come to a head when he begins to clash with suave soul singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) about their role in the African-American struggle for equality and about the very nature of being a black icon in the socially turbulent 60s, as implacable American Football fullback and aspiring Hollywood star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) is drawn into the heated debate, and the group dynamic shifts forever on a fateful night in Florida.

Based on real people and real friendships, but depicting hypothetical events and discussions, ‘One Night in Miami…’ features a narrative and a flow which feel natural and ring true to the nature of the figures involved. It also proves particularly reflective of the time and place in which the story is set, while resonating strongly in our turbulent present day where the issues of race and discrimination persist—as King and Powers subtly but deliberately connect the social unrest and political movements on the 21^st century streets of America with the civil rights struggles of the mid-20^th century, framing one as a generational extension of the other, without overtly declaring it.

But this is also a very specific human story and a poignant portrait of individuals, and that’s really where the film’s strength lie. The four leads have the unenviable task of capturing the iconographic essence of their characters without slipping into caricature or imitation, but most importantly bring to the surface the conflicted humanity of men at the top of their game. Very personally debating what it means to be young, black, and famous in 1960s America, and the responsibilities that come with that, with conversations which becomes frank and confronting about righting the wrongs and staking a claim of the white man’s world, all of which are part of the existential fuel which drives the narrative.

Luckily for us all the actors are in fine form, with the multi-talented Leslie Odom Jr. stylishly bringing to the screen the flamboyant but conflicted essence of a music legend, while as the narrative lynchpin of the story Eli Goree does an admirable job of reviving an icon without slipping into impersonation, as his Cassius Clay comes off like a brilliant brash youngster transitioning into a leader and cultural beacon who would be known as Ali.

But it’s the only Brit in the cast who steals the show for us, as Kingsley Ben-Adir sidesteps not bearing any natural resemblance to Malcolm X with a towering performance which brings the core of his human essence to the heart of the story, and at a crossroads in his life. A devout and divisive Muslim minister and African-American activist at a defining point in his relationship with the Nation of Islam, a fiery figure who cuts close to the bone but only to get to the truth—or at least how he sees it—but a man with his own blind sides who is weighed down by the responsibility of his positions as public figure and family man . . . and a fate he knows he won’t escape.

Despite being a character drama which unfolds for the most part as a chambre piece on a modest budget, King certainly hasn’t skimped on style for her feature debut, employing top-notch production and costume designs to seamlessly re-create the era and showcase an array of fashions to suit the contrasting characters, all sleekly captured by cinematographer Tami Reiker (High Art, The Old Guard) in a steamy Louisiana doubling for Florida. Meanwhile the music complements the performances to energise what could easily have become stale movie, combining a soundtrack of 60s soul and folk—which includes Sam Cooke’s music at the heart of the narrative as a reflection of his evolution as an artist—with yet another sumptuous score from regular Spike Lee collaborator Terence Blanchard (Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman).

It would be easy to criticise ‘One Night in Miami…’ as a historical piece which could define the perceptions of these figures for a new generation, blending fiction with fact and taking artistic license when it comes to personal depictions. And it was never going to capture all the nuances and complexities of these diverse characters and their complex relationships, particularly between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X. But this is a hypothetical depiction of a meeting of minds in a very specific place and time, a simple yet skilful character piece which captures the essence of each man and the soul of a nation, both fuelling and reflecting the discussion about race in America happening today by boldly having that very discussion via some of the most famous black faces, and on the biggest stage.

The Bottom Line…

A narrow but rich personalised portrait and a welcome addition to the cinematic canon of the 20^th century American struggle for civil rights, Regina King’s feature directorial debut is an assured and compelling effort which takes a vivid snapshot of a time gone by while planting it at the heart of today’s socio-political discourse, whilst using standout performances and plenty of humanity to bring to life a fearsome foursome of iconic black figures.

‘One Night in Miami…’ is out on the 26th of December in select UK cinemas, and on Amazon Prime Video on the 15th of January 2021.

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