For her directorial debut, Regina King chose the adaptation of a famous theater play depicting the history of four icons of African-American culture. How was it? Read my review.
It's 1964. Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), a 22-year-old boxer, wins the world heavyweight title. To celebrate, he meets at a motel in Miami with his friends: NFL star Jimmy Brown (Aldis Hodge), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir) and musician Sam Cook (Leslie Odom Jr.). On the same day, the hero is to announce to the world that he is converting to Islam and from that moment on he will be called Mohamed Ali. Before that happens, however, there will be many heated discussions among the friends about what role they have to play in the struggle of blacks for equal treatment in America, and whether each of them is making the most of their socio-media potential.
America in the 1960s is a place where dreams come true and a bootblack can suddenly become a millionaire. Unfortunately, such transformations are not available to everyone. African Americans, even when successful, are still treated like second-class people. We see this in the scene where Sam Cooke performs at the legendary club Copacabana in front of a white audience. However, this is a bitter victory, because as soon as the show starts, people start to leave the room. And it is not about the singer's lack of talent, after all, he is making a huge career in the country, and his songs are high on the prestigious billboard list. This is a sign of protest against a black performer in a club where mostly white residents have fun. This scene clearly shows the adversities that African Americans have faced. There are many more such examples in the film. Times change, but certain social behaviors remain. Maybe not in all areas, but still visible.
One Night in Miami ... it's a very good film and a great directorial debut. King shows herself as a conscious creator who knows exactly what effect she wants to get from her actors. It is easier, however, because the play on which the film is based has been staged so many times on the stage that it is easy to transfer to the screen. The next project will show whether it was just a random shot on target, or whether we are dealing with a nascent directing talent.