One Night in Miami is a fictionalized account based on actual events that took place in 1964. Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali. What would have… could have taken place had these four men gathered in a hotel room in Miami in 1964?

Actor/Director Regina King sets the stage…

Story: Adapted for the screen by Kemp Powers based on his stage play by the same name, one can’t help but be overwhelmed by the vision it took to create this scenario. How does a person think this up? And how do you create a dynamic between characters you don’t know, have never met and can’t talk to?

This. Is. Original. Storytelling. The ability to combine individual experiences into one comprehensive, cohesive encounter is absolutely brilliant as a writer. Historical facts and references along with eyewitness accounts are critical for the success of a project like this, but, the ability to be a colorful and creative writer is paramount here.

Mr. Kemp captures all of what is happening during this time period through four icons in a hotel room. Kudos…

Performances: Being a man of a certain age, I have enough first-hand knowledge of these four men’s time in the spotlight to decide if this account makes sense to me. The individual performances are spot on for each character.

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X, Leslie Odom, Jr. as Sam Cooke, Aldis Hodge as Jim Brown and Eli Goree as Muhammad Ali. Award season nominations should abound.

Of note is that none of theses actors are big box office names. This is a part of the cachet that makes the dynamic special. Their performances compliment each other perfectly/equally without one overshadowing another.

Visual: Everything about the 1960’s is captured in this film. The physical elements – costumes, backdrop, props… but it’s the non-tangibles – the intensity, the rejection, the defiance, the desperate need to be heard. I could go on… these are elements of a film that sometimes get missed. This film leaves no opening missing the moment…

Rating: A+. Should come as no surprise given what you just read. Regina King could not have picked a more quality project to take on for her Directorial debut. The story is strong enough to tell itself, so she really didn’t have to do much. But she did. She gave the story the look it deserved and the feelings that go along with it.

See this film ASAP. I’ll be seeing it again and again and again…