Malcolm X
...Muslim leader. Malcolm X real name was Malcolm Little, his father (a minister) was killed by a white supremacist group. He became a gangster, and while in jail discovered the Nation of Islam and the writings of Elijah Muhammad. When let out of jail, he preaches the teachings, but later on goes on a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, there he converts to the original Islamic religion and becomes a Sunni Muslim. He changes his name to El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz and stops his anti-white teachings, as he realizes the error of his mistakes. He is later assassinated and dies a Muslim leader in black history (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104797/plotsummary).
Spike Lee and company have performed a powerful service in making of this movie. Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) and Shorty (Spike Lee) were two gangsters who were caught up in white American society. Spike Lee went into great details of the earlier life of Malcolm X. The movie goes back and forth to Malcolm X’s childhood life. Malcolm X and Shorty team up with a West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo) who was a gambler. Malcolm X and Shorty were sentenced to 10 years in prison. While in prison Malcolm X was approached by a Muslim name Baines (Albert Hall) who helped Malcolm X to escape the “prison of the mind.”
The movie was detailed in the prison when Baines was teaching other inmates about Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman, Jr.). Spike Lee wanted to show his audience the true life events happen while Malcolm X was in prison. Baines approached Malcolm X and started to tell him about Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. At first Malcolm X was very spectacle on whether or not he wanted to convert to Islam. Elijah Muhammad had written Malcolm X a letter while he was in jail. Malcolm X thought Elijah Muhammad was actually there in the jail cell with him. This is when Elijah Muhammad explains the meaning...
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