One Night in Miami…

Directed by Regina King, One Night in Miami… follows four icons (Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Malcolm X, Eli Goree’s Cassius Clay, Aldis Hodge’s Jim Brown, and Leslie Odom Jr.’s Sam Cooke) as they convene in a motel room for a night of conversations and arguments. Filmmaker King, working from a script by Kemp Powers, admittedly does a fantastic job of initially drawing the viewer into the methodically-paced proceedings, as One Night in Miami… opens with a blistering pre-credits stretch that effectively establishes and develops the four central characters – with the compelling, promising vibe undoubtedly heightened by the solid work of the various performers. (All four men are absolutely perfect within their respective roles, although it remains clear that Ben-Adir’s powerful turn stands out as an ongoing highlight.) It’s disappointing to note, then, that the picture segues into an erratic midsection that’s as uninvolving as it is compelling, as King, for the most part, proves unable to alleviate One Night in Miami…‘s origins as a theatrical production and delivers a talky, stagy endeavor that’s only sporadically engrossing. (There are, having said that, plenty of electrifying moments sprinkled throughout the movie, including a fantastic interlude in which Malcolm X criticizes Cooke for not making meaningful, socially-relevant music.) The whole thing picks up with a strong (and fairly powerful) closing stretch that ensures it concludes on a positive note, which ultimately cements One Night in Miami…‘s place as a decent adaptation that does, generally speaking, work best as a showcase for some seriously impressive performances.

**1/2 out of ****