“One Night in Miami” is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered, discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the ’60s.
In Regina King’s directorial debut, she teaches us a poignant lesson on the intricacies of racism from the mouths of its intended targets. “One Night in Miami” covers a fictional meeting that takes place in Miami and includes four esteemed black men who are deemed socially-conscious frontrunners of their time and in their own respective corners of success. On February 25th, 1964, when Singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.), NFL Star Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Political Activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), and Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) get together just after Cassius Clay has been crowned Heavyweight Champion of the World, a discussion takes place in a small, dark room that changes their perspectives forever.
Discord rears its ugly head right off the bat, when the night of celebration that is hosted by Malcolm X, is nowhere near the celebratory caliber that the men expected. Not only does the celebration not include women or alcohol, but it is also deliberately planned by Malcolm to be an ice-cream social that includes stimulating conversation. Sam Cooke, whose outspokenness seemed to be no match for Malcolm’s quiet intellect, was truly perturbed at the thought of not being able to celebrate lavishly on such a grand occasion. At some point, he poses the question, “Which of us doesn’t belong?” Cassius Clay doesn’t hesitate to point out that they are all young, black, righteous, unapologetic, and famous.
This simple, yet glorious observation, sets the tone for the entire film as these four men classify and then de-classify how their contributions to the world both catapult them into crossover appeal while putting them at arm’s length with one another, according to their own misconceptions about who is really relevant in a world where all four are at a disadvantage. At the end of the evening, while each of the men is wiser due to the powerful discussions, the hurt feelings that came along with the lessons in humility, were much harder to deal with.
The powerful way in which director Regina King handles the conversations, as well as the temperaments of the characters, is nothing short of remarkable as the entire set of circumstances on display during that one fictional night in February of 1964, was right on the cusp of conversations that were bound to be discussed with the passing of the National Civil Rights Act in July of that same year. An even more eye-opening fact is the relevance of the conversations, then and now, which covers some of the same bitterness that permeates our society, almost 60 years later when race relations in America are still a subject of controversy. Regina King’s adaptation of Kemp Powers’ story shows that she has a keen sense of relativity and a broad knowledge of the subject matter that impacts the African-American experience which, regardless of position, goes beyond a 4-sided debate about relativity. For its historic value and powerful insight, this film goes far beyond its entertainment objective and teaches many a lesson on transformational thinking.
Now playing in Select Theaters and on Amazon Prime Video Friday, January 15th
