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Acting legend Denzel Washington is one of the most celebrated performers of his generation and has received many accolades for his incredible body of work. From his 1990 Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor in Glory, to his first win for a performance in a leading role with Training Day in 2002, Washington is one of the most accomplished performers working today, standing as both a box office star and an awards darling, a status which few actors have managed to achieve. But despite all of Washington's success throughout his storied career, he was unceremoniously snubbed for what was arguably his finest performance to date.
Denzel Washington has collaborated with filmmaking legend and fellow Oscar-winner Spike Lee on multiple occasions. These include 1990's Mo' Better Blues, 1998's He Got Game, and 2006's Inside Man, all of which are worthy of praise in themselves. And with their latest collaboration, Highest 2 Lowest -- a loose remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 classic, High and Low -- it's time to take a look back at what is considered by many to be the best of their collaborations, the epic 1992 biopic, Malcolm X.
Denzel Washington Gives a Career-Best Performance in 'Malcolm X' Close
For those who've yet to see Spike Lee's marvelous film, Malcolm X is an all-encompassing biopic chronicling the amazing and influential life of the titular Black Nationalist leader, from his early days as a small-time gangster in Harlem, to his conversion to the Nation of Islam in prison, to his eventual assassination in 1965. The film sees Denzel Washington completely transforming alongside his character, showing immense growth that few biopics have been able to capture in such an authentic manner. The Malcolm X viewers meet at the beginning of the film is night-and-day in comparison to the character we see by the end, going from a naive young man involved in criminal practices to a wise, stern leader guided by his powerful beliefs. Lee is able to capture an entire lifetime in only 202 minutes, which is a testament to not only his remarkable direction, but his excellent screenplay, co-written by Arnold Perl and Alex Haley, the latter of whom was known for his iconic 1976 novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which spawned the award-winning 1977 miniseries.
It cannot be understated how impressive Denzel Washington's work is here. There are plenty of great lead performances in biopics, but few actors have completely transformed into an iconic figure quite like Washington did with Malcolm X. And while the film rightfully shines a light on all the influential -- if controversial -- leaders' remarkable accomplishments, it's not afraid to depict Malcolm X as a human, portraying his flaws and weaknesses as well as his strengths, bringing him down to earth rather than constructing a Hollywood-ized fantasy around his fascinating life. Malcolm X is a brilliantly constructed epic from one of cinema's finest actor-director pairings, right alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese.
Denzel Washington Was Unfairly Snubbed for 'Malcolm X'
The 1993 Oscar race -- celebrating the best films of 1992 -- featured an especially tight race in the Best Actor category. Nominated alongside Denzel Washington were the likes of Robert Downey Jr. for Chaplin (another biopic), Clint Eastwood for his Best Picture-winning Western, Unforgiven, Stephen Rea for The Crying Game, and Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman, the performance which would ultimately take home the gold statue, netting Pacino his first and only Academy Award. But despite the excellent company Washington had in his category, none of these (admittedly fantastic) performances matched the range or depth of what Washington was able to pull off with his unforgettable portrayal of Malcolm X.
Washington was able to capture multiple stages of a figure's life, fully embodying each version of Malcolm X we see throughout the film, and gradually developing and maturing his performance alongside the character in a way that few decades-spanning epics have accomplished in the same way. It's a truly once-in-a-lifetime performance that should've earned Washington his second Oscar after Glory. Perhaps his aforementioned Best Supporting Actor win in 1990 is the reason for his performance in Malcolm X being snubbed, but even if that is the case, it's a true shame, and easily the biggest head-scratcher of the 1993 Oscar race.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Malcolm X PG-13 Biography Drama History 9.0/10 Release Date November 18, 1992 Runtime 202 minutes Director Spike Lee Cast See All Denzel Washington Angela Bassett Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH RENT BUY
Writers Spike Lee, Arnold Perl, Alex Haley Powered by Expand Collapse