TIFF 2020 film review: 'One Night in Miami'
The idea of the most prominent running back, heavyweight, soul singer and Civil Rights minister coming together for a single night seems too intriguing to be true. But Regina King's feature directorial debut imagines what might have been said behind closed doors when these four real-life friends got together for 'One Night in Miami' (screening during the 45th Toronto International Film Festival).
In short: A fictionalized account of a 1964 gathering of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown as they celebrated Cassius Clay’s win over Sonny Liston. Stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr. and Eli Goree.
For better or worse, 'One Night' is pretty much as advertised: four iconic figures ... hang out for a night. And for almost an hour, that's about it. For most of the first half, the movie leans a bit hard on the pure larger-than-life personalities rather than shaping a narrative with a clear direction. The colorful personalities are enough to keep the movie feel like a perfect fun little hang, but the movie is too comfortable just letting these characters gently rib each other ... for a bit too long.
'One Night' certainly takes a definitive change of tone, when friendly banter gives way to heated discourse on all matters of race-related issues. While there's no inherent conflict in just watching four friends eat ice cream in a hotel room, the script evolves into an ideological battle of principles. These four men are prominent leaders, each having very different experiences and perspectives on what it means to be a Black man of influence during the Civil Rights movement.
It's in these stirring monologues that 'One Night' transforms into a series of impassioned debates on the role of Black men and how they should and can use their platforms to support Civil Rights. And these arguments from a story set in the '60s are all too timely and relevant in 2020, when athletes are told to "shut up and dribble" and that kneeling, as a form of protest, is distasteful. The themes explored in this Civil Rights era period film, tragically, still apply almost six decades later.
'One Night' is based on the award-winning stage play of the same name ... and it certainly feels like a stage production repurposed for the big screen. And what works on stage doesn't necessarily always translate smoothly to cinema. Stage productions are forgiven some lyrical (if stilted) dialogue because the stage is powered by pure emotion - whereas cinema allows room for nuance, subtlety of wording and performance.
Unfortunately 'One Night' simply takes too long to eventually develop into a truly engrossing film. The first half has a few truly poignant moments - specifically how white society views some of the greatest men in their fields - but the overall first half could be streamlined. Any movie without a clear plot direction or building conflict for nearly half its runtime must bring more to the table than some playful banter.
Final verdict: 'One Night' firmly asserts that no amount of fame or talent has saved Black men from prejudice or outright racism. Unfortunately, it wanders a while before finally and decisively committing to its exploration of fame, race and influence.
Score: 3.5/5
'One Night in Miami' screens during TIFF 2020. This drama is unrated and has a running time of 110 minutes.
(Image courtesy of TIFF)
