Director Spike Lee's powerful portrait of the controversial black American leader gave Denzel Washington a great acting opportunity, and for his electrifying portrayal of Malcolm X's rise from teen thug to street preacher and political activist, he was nominated for an Academy Award. Full of passionate ideas and inflammatory speeches, and with a powerful message, this is an extraordinary true story - but at over three hours it is a bum-numbing marathon and does take some watching, particularly since its most memorable moments are dotted in little bright bursts throughout the film. Lee has allowed the fact that he's totally in awe of his subject to cloud his editorial judgment on when to say 'cut', but the big action set pieces do carry an undeniable charge. Nelson Mandela makes a cameo appearance; the talented Angela Bassett is sadly underused as Malcolm's future wife. The end credits read like a Who's Who of black Hollywood with millionaire actors who helped with the astronomical budget, which was so high that the film was a major box office flop for the Warner studio.

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