Right from the opening credits in which an American flag slowly burns to form a letter 'X', this biography of the title human rights activist from Spike Lee is riveting viewing throughout. The film's strongest asset is Denzel Washington's lead performance; he undergoes several character progressions throughout as the film documents his whole transformation from convicted criminal to angry protester to revered public figure. The film benefits from some magnificent editing too with well-melded, dreamlike childhood flashbacks, a clever cutaway in which Washington imagines throw a cake in a condescending young man's face and some very deliberate cutting in a scene in which he looks up the definitions of 'black' and 'white' in the dictionary (probably the most potent part of the entire movie). The Oscar nominated costumes (zoot suits in particular) are great too. What does not quite work so well though is Lee's choice to unabashedly celebrate the title character. The sentimental epilogue seems ill-judged. Also, given how callous Malcolm is shown at times (coldly telling a sympathetic young white woman that she cannot do anything to help his cause) and how close-minded he is on certain issues, he always seems like more a deeply flawed man with his heart in the right place than a leader worthy of Lee's celebratory treatment. Never to mind, the film is engaging the whole way through, regardless of how one views the title character, with nary a boring moment to be had - which is a quite remarkable achievement for a that film clocks in at over three hours in length.
