Hey wonderful peoples. As we get closer to the fall season and Academy Award talk slowly starts to make itself heard in film conversations had by ourselves and those smarter than I, it's time to bring back the series where I choose a movie or performance that I believe should have rightfully won the Academy Award(s) yet walked away empty handed on that special Oscar evening. After years of standing on the red carpet sideline I've taken matters into my own hands and I’ve given them my own award. The Academy Awhaaaaaat!? Award. I have just been handled the envelope and after opening it I'm happy to say that the Academy Awhaaaaaat!? Award is being given to Denzel Washington for Malcolm X in the Spike Lee joint Malcolm X.
Now I know Denzel has an Academy Award already. Two of them actually. One for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Trip in Glory and one for Best Lead Actor for his role as Alonzo Harris in Training Day. I believe his award for Glory is well deserved but you could just as easily give an Academy Awhaaaaat!? award to Danny Aiello for his role as Sal in Do The Right Thing a film that received the very first Academy Awhaaaat?! award.
The Training Day award is the one that bothers me. Denzel’s best performance as a lead actor was in Training Day? Really? Alonzo Harris? That's your boy? Okay. Well allow me to retort. The Academy Awards are notorious for giving make up awards. Example, Al Pacino was nominated for Best Actor for his roles in Godfather Part II, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and .....And Justice For All. What did he win the Oscar for? Scent Of A Woman. Academy could you explain yourself please? I'd respect you more if you gave it to him for Cruising (I will put this clip in anytime I can):
Training Day is an overrated movie. Overrated. I'm not down playing Denzel's role in it. Denzel doesn't give a bad performance. He's very good in it. You can tell he's really enjoying playing the over the top bad guy. It’s exciting to see him playing such a bad ass because up to that point in his career we hadn’t seen him play a villian quite like Alonzo Harris. But is there anything really memorable from the movie? Years from now when we look back at Denzel's career will Training Day be the movie that we all point to as the definitive Denzel Washington performance? Other than Denzel's intro to Ethan Hawke at breakfast and his final scene where he lets us know how he feels about King Kong, is there a scene in the movie that can stand above any other performance he has given? I don't think so.
That's part of the problem with Training Day, it's staying power or lack thereof. It's not a film that I revisit on DVD (I can't afford a Blu-ray player yet) or am willing to devote an afternoon to it if I catch it on TV. It definately doesn't have any performances that I feel the need to see again and again. It’s a movie that I look back on and think that’s when Denzel ate up all the scenery he could chew and it was fun to watch him do it. Once.
Malcolm X is another story. It's a powerful performance that's going to go down as one of the greatest ever captured on film. I would argue that Denzel's voice is more powerful during the opening credits of Malcolm X than a majority of his screen time in Training Day and it only takes off from there.
Over the course of almost 3 hours we see Malcolm Little become Detroit Red who in turn becomes Malcolm X who travels and returns from Mecca transformed yet again as a new man who was willing to accept that not all of his decisions in the past may have been in the best interest of what he believed. Denzel shows each of those periods in Malcolm's life and the transition from one to the next is always that feels natural and believable.
It's not a biopic highlights reel (like this article) but there are some iconic moments that really stand out. The above mentioned pilgramage to Mecca is one of the best. Spike Lee discusses on the bonus materials of the dvd how the studio originally suggested that they should have a New York coastline or maybe a west coast desert to fill in as Mecca. You know, for budgetary reasons. Unbelievable.
Malcolm's first meeting with The Honorable Elijah Mohammed is also a great moment that deserves to be mentioned. Malcolm is finally introduced to the leader who has helped him put his past life behind but will eventually betray him. The way Denzel enters the room slightly cowering, unable to speak, and fighting back tears is amazing.
All of which brings you to the last act of the film, the death of Malcolm X. This is quite possibly the best part of the film, absolutely Denzel's strongest in the film, and the hardest to watch because of the tragedy that happens. Kudo's to Spike Lee's use of "A Change Is Gonna Come" here. Spike Lee and Martin Scorcese are the kings of music put to film and this choice by Spike is no exception.
On a side note, I was in love with the promotion for Malcolm X. Viral marketing is becoming so common now that I almost miss the days of simple straight forward movie advertising. I loved the posters in movie theaters that simply showed the X. I put that right up there with the poster for Tim Burton's Batman where all they showed you to promote the movie was the Bat symbol. Look at that poster. That is classy and nerdy at the same time.
I can't say enough about Denzel in Malcolm X. In the future when they open the books and point to Denzel Washington this is the role they need to mention. This is the one that proves he's one of our greatest actors (I forgive you for Virtuosity Denzel). If you haven't seen it yet, this is the next Denzel Washington movie you need to see. Denzel Washington in Malcolm X.
Check out:
Total Film's 150 Greatest Movie Performances Of All Time
Spike Lee discussing Denzel's role as Malcolm X
Siskel & Ebert review Malcolm X
Malcolm X on DVD
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