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Staring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Gore, Aldis Hodge,
Leslie Odom Jr.
Rated: R
The film is set in February of 1964 on the night a young Cassius Clay won his first Heavyweight Boxing Championship. The win was such a surprise to everyone, no one even thought of having a victory celebration, so a makeshift party was held in at a small motel in the African American section of Miami. Clay, soon to be known as Muhammad Ali, invites three of his real- life friends to join him: social activist and minister-Malcom X, legendary signer-Sam Cooke and football hero-Jim Brown. The event and the celebration actually happened but what the men truly talked about is unknown. However, the film is a fascinating account of what these four famous people could have talked about and how they affected each other’s lives. Although Cassius Clay is the center of the story, this is not a boxing movie. It really is about friendship and the effect friends can have on each other’s lives. Each of men’s careers are discussed in a clever way that ties these people together. For example; Malcom X was murdered in 1965 and there is an eerie
foreshadowing of what will come in his portrayal. In addition, I really enjoyed Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke. He flawlessly preformed several of Cooke’s famous songs-especially “A Change is Going to Come”. It’s very moving.
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