Malcolm X

Director: Spike Lee

1992 / 202min / 35mm

With his sixth feature, and still in his mid-thirties, Lee leapt into the waters of epic filmmaking with staggering virtuosity, evident from the very first crane shot moving through a recreation of vibrant Harlem street life, landing on a shoe, and pulling back out again. Re-working a script by James Baldwin, Lee covers decades in the life of the legendary activist, and on into the present by acknowledging Rodney King and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 release from prison. In a period of bloated, clichéd biopics, Lee’s film stood apart, and continues to do so thirty years after its release.