Film Review: "One Night in Miami..." (2020).

"Four legends. One legendary night." This is One Night in Miami... This drama film directed by Regina King, her feature film directorial debut, adapted by Kemp Powers and based on his stage play of the same name. The film is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.

In July 2019, Deadline Hollywood reported King would direct and executive produce Powers' screenplay of his play. By January 2020, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Lance Reddick, Michael Imperioli, and Beau Bridges. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The film stars Ben-Adir, Goree, Hodge, Odom Jr., Reddick, Imperioli, and Bridges. The cast gave incredible performances, which is reason enough to forgive the film's cinematic shortcomings. The four leads' work in tandem and it's a wonder that any other actors would have room to breathe with those four taking up so much of the emotional space. The four tear into their roles with what might be career-best and definitely Oscar-worthy performances.

The film is about as good as it gets though, with two of the best acting performances of the year, and a lot of material to chew on long after the final scene. That's the beauty about the film. It encapsulates a plethora of challenging subjects in a tightly constructed film. Everyone has a balanced viewpoint in their decisions and the film doesn't try to judge. While the film is essentially a series of conversations, there's movement, drama, character development and tension at every turn. The film doesn't take the opportunity to do anything cinematic with Powers' classic source material, however, it does boast career-best performances by the four leads. This isn't a showy film with a lot of excitement but this is a masterclass in acting from one of the stage's fiercest writers. As purely a thespian venture, the Regina King directed film is an applaudable homer. The film is a powerful piece of work, and the cast channels that power mostly effectively. Viewers may have questions about some of the interpretation, but we come out moved all the same. Simple yet passionate adaptation of Powers' masterpiece that is respectful to its source material providing incredible performances and great dialogue throughout. Powers' dialogue is superlative -- soulful, authentic and timely and almost musical, sharing a cadence that's part of most urban cities. Under King's direction, there is no wasted moment, no empty frame. Everyone delivers the letter above A game. Every micro expression feels thought out, and as big of a presence the cast has. On a stage, dialogue as symbol can work. Movies require something more natural for audiences to lose themselves in -- something the film doesn't manage. The performances by each of its four main characters... combined with King's gripping direction, the film is simply extraordinary. It is not to be missed.

Simon says One Night in Miami... receives: