One Night in Miami Review

Toronto Film Festival 2020 | #2 | One Night in Miami

It can be easy to oversimplify or place words into the mouths of important historical figures, particularly if those figures are related to an important movement such as the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. Contrary to the sterile way in which it is viewed now, the movement was not well liked by the white ruling class in its day, and there was far more at work than just Martin Luther King Jr.'s peaceful marches that went towards the fight for Black power and liberation.

The 60's contained several important Black icons, from the political speaker and Muslim leader Malcolm X to the boxer Muhammad Ali, and more. Many of these people, despite being in various different fields, were united under the cause of Black liberation, and had personal lives far more complex and inter-related than most people today now realize. One Night in Miami is an attempt to examine these lives and how they relate to each other, the movement at large, and the legacy they've left behind today.

Based on a chamber piece for theater written by Kemp Powers (who also wrote the screenplay adaptation), One Night in Miami is director Regina King's debut work, and for a first time feature director she shows an excellence grasp on directing character actors. The plot of the film is minimal, yet the characters all possess depth and likeability in part thanks to the writing and in part thanks to the actors playing them. The four protagonists are Cassius Clay (soon to be known as Muhammad Ali, played by Eli Goree), Malcolm X (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (played by Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (played by Aldis Hodge).

The setup follows these four characters on the night of Clay's historic victory over Sonny Liston to become a championship boxer. That night, in 1964, they gathered in a small hotel room to celebrate. Shortly after, each of the four men hit major turning points in their lives and careers. Malcolm X was about to leave the Nation of Islam, and was only a year away from his eventual assassination. Cassius Clay was on the brink of converting to Islam and changing his name to Muhammad Ali. Jim Brown, an NFL player at the time, was about to quit his sports career in favor of a career in film. Sam Cooke, considered by many to be the father of Soul music, changed direction to a more socially conscious approach soon afterward. The setup for the film is simple; what happened between those men that night?

The plot of the film is simple to nonexistent, and instead the power comes from the characters and their interactions. As such, there's not much I'm willing to say out of fear of spoiling the character growth that everyone goes through, but the experience is engrossing and entertaining, and does better at handling an ensemble cast than many films by far more experienced directors this year. Compare this with Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, in which only two or three of the six person main cast gets any sort of depth or development. In One Night in Miami, King and Powers give every single character a defining character arc and personality, and each of them get several moments to shine.

The thing that really makes Miami work, though is the way in which it both humanizes and honors its subjects. These are all great men who have done great work, but they are also human, with both softer and more flawed sides. Malcolm X is an important civil rights and religious leader, but he also deeply loves his friends and family, and is very concerned with the ways in which his controversial activism poses a threat to them. Sam Cooke is a brilliant and talented musician and a shrewd businessman, but one who is also attempting to grapple with his place in the civil rights movement. Jim Brown is a famous man doing his best to enjoy his fame, but also wholly cognizant of the way in which white people treat him, even when they think they mean well. Cassius Clay is a young, energetic up and comer with a strong social conscious, but he's also one reeling from a rapid entry into a world he's not sure he's ready for.

Ultimately, One Night in Miami does excellent things with its limited cast and plotting, and showcases the power of strong characters and quality actors working off one another. It talks about race in terms both historical and relevant, and attempts to reconcile the public faces of some of the civil rights movements' most important figures with their humanity. Largely, it suceeds in compelling fashion.