MLK/FBI

Directed by Sam Pollard, MLK/FBI explores the US government’s surveillance and eventual harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr during the 1960s – with a particular emphasis placed on the increasingly contentious relationship between King, Jr and J. Edgar Hoover. It’s compelling material that’s employed to matter-of-fact yet far-from-engrossing effect by Pollard, as the filmmaker delivers a dry documentary that doesn’t, until its closing stretch, contain any onscreen speakers – with the decidedly academic atmosphere perpetuated by ceaseless narration and a complete and total reliance on stock footage. Having said that, MLK/FBI does, for the most part, provide an eye-opening glimpse into an undeniably shameful chapter in American law-enforcement history – with the inherently fascinating nature of the film’s subject matter compensating for its less-than-lively execution.

**1/2 out of ****