RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Malcolm X
Malcolm X

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Malcolm X (1992)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
93 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:41

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.5/10

Runtime: 3 hrs 21 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Spike Lee brings the life of African-American leader Malcolm X (an intense Denzel Washington in an Oscar-nominated performance) to the big screen in this sprawling, epic biographical drama. Born... Spike Lee brings the life of African-American leader Malcolm X (an intense Denzel Washington in an Oscar-nominated performance) to the big screen in this sprawling, epic biographical drama. Born Malcolm Little, son of a Nebraska preacher, on May 19, 1925, he became one of the most militant leaders and charismatic spokesmen of the black liberation movement before his assassination at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City on February 21, 1965. The film sweeps through his early life as a small-time hustler and thief with his friend Shorty (Lee), his conversion to Islam in jail, and his subsequent life as a controversial spiritual leader and husband of Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett). Malcolm's tragic assassination is presented as a conspiracy of Nation of Islam leaders; the film shows how his philosophy has been realized in the lives of others who have been moved by his words. Filmed with great visual flair by Lee, the film is a work of entertainment as much as it is a historical artifact. Washington captures the spiritual conversion of the hero with a sincerity that is entirely as believable and ultimately moving as it was in the book that inspired the film, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X. [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Al Freeman, Delroy Lindo

Starring: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Al Freeman, Delroy Lindo, Albert Hall, Theresa Randle, Kate Vernon, Angela Bassett, Brendan Kelly, David Patrick Kelly

Director: Spike Lee

Director: Spike Lee

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Malcolm X

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Visually and dramatically, Lee pulls out all the stops, but it's Washington's performance that really energizes the film, and he's an exhilarating presence throughout.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/23/08
Jon Fortgang
Jon Fortgang
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It plays surprisingly safe as a solidly crafted trawl through the didactic/hagiographic conventions of the mainstream biopic.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
10/18/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

Lee sketches Malcolm's life colorfully, if by the numbers. But he falls victim to the danger of movie biography: he elevates Malcolm's importance until the vital historical context is obscured.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment 1 Comment
09/23/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lamoclm X may seem conventional by Spike Lee's standards, but as a biopic of a controversial historical figure, it's superior to the nobility of spirit of a movie like Gandhi, for example, and Attenborough's high-mindedness.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment 1 Comment
12/25/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/08/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/28/06
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
07/01/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
06/03/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

a thoughtful and insightful rendering that promises to educate generations about the real Malcolm X

Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
03/05/05
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews

In the leading man category, Denzel Washington in Malcolm X managed to deliver the best performance of the decade.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
02/24/05
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing

Malcolm X owes its success to a combination of things, not the least of which is Washington's performance.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
02/14/05
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
02/12/05
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Finds Lee’s tendencies towards gadflyish social outrage folded into the fabric of the typically reactionary biopic genre.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
02/08/05
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

Controversial, compelling story...Spike Lee in good form.

comment Comment
01/02/05
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

Denzel brings the legend to life.

comment Comment
01/01/05
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

richly layered

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/22/04
Eric Meyerson
Eric Meyerson
Filmcritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/04/04
Sarah Chauncey
Sarah Chauncey
Reel.com

No review available.

comment Comment
04/21/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Not a mere movie but a cinematic event.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/01/04
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Malcolm X

April 05, 2005: Spike & Denzel to Team Up for a Fourth Flick
Blackfilm.com snagged an interesting quote from controversial filmmaker Spike Lee. The director was attending an after-party for Denzel Washington's Broadway opening of... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
14% 14% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
21
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
24
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
48
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
26
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
126
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
181
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
90
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
70
  • 5 Facts About The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
65
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
63
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
44
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
43
  • Five Favorite Films With Zombieland Director Ruben Fleischer
22
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
7
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
16
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
21
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Malcolm X at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Malcolm X at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.