Denzel was robbed of an Oscar in this 1992 biopic — stream it and see for yourself

The Denzel Watchathon is going strong, and this week, I've finally arrived at the iconic 1992 biopic, "Malcolm X." This movie marks the second collaboration between Denzel and director Spike Lee, who first teamed up in "Mo' Better Blues," but this time the duo produced something Oscar worthy. While the film itself wasn't nominated for Best Picture (more on that later), Denzel was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of the civil rights leader. In retrospect, I think he got robbed of what would have been his second Oscar win, and his first as a lead actor.

If you are new to this ongoing series for the first time, I'm currently going through every one of Denzel's 52 movies in his filmography, one per week, throughout 2026. I'm starting with 1981's "Carbon Copy" and ending with last year's "Highest 2 Lowest," the most recent Denzel/Spike Lee joint. We're now in week 12, and while there have been high points and low points, this movie undoubtedly marks the peak of Denzel's acting power so far in his career.

Now, if you want to watch this movie before you read my analysis, I've got (potentially) good news. "Malcolm X" isn't currently available on any of the best streaming services, but it is available on MGM+. Since MGM+ offers a seven-day free trial, you can effectively stream "Malcolm X" for free, which is exactly what I did. You can also sign up for an MGM+ free trial through Prime Video if you prefer.

Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom's Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don't have to watch the bad ones.

Denzel is transformative several times throughout 'Malcolm X'

If you've never seen "Malcolm X" before, this biopic is an epic 202 minutes. No, that's not a typo. It really is nearly three-and-a-half hours long.

Now, there is a reason for this. It's largely adapting Alex Haley's ("Roots") 1965 book "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," which is not light reading. Depending on your edition, it's over 500 pages long, and it covers the entirety of Malcolm X's life.

For its part, Lee's movie doesn't dive into the entirety of the earliest years, back when Malcolm X went by his birth name, Malcolm Little. But it does pick up pretty early on in the book's story, and as someone who has read it, it was pretty wild to see events from the pages played out on screen and immediately recognize them.

Speaking of immediately recognizable, the movie begins with Denzel giving a speech as Malcolm, and his voice is something you immediately latch onto.

It's not quite Denzel just speaking in his own voice, though. There are subtle differences in inflection and accent. It's not like what he's doing in "For Queen and Country," but it's the first moment that you realize this will be a transformative performance from Denzel.

Admittedly, Denzel doesn't look unlike Malcolm X to begin with, especially with a bit of hair, makeup and costuming (the movie was also nominated for Best Costume Design). But as the movie takes us from Malcolm's time in Boston to his years in Harlem with "West Indie" Archie (an incredible performance by Delroy Lindo), we see Malcolm transform. Not just physically, but with his mannerisms as well.

We see Denzel's ability to match Malcolm's transformations throughout his lifetime and time again in this film, and it's masterful. Some, like Malcolm's initial transformation into a Nation of Islam preacher, and his later transformation after making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, are less subtle than others, but they're all incredible to watch.

The most impressive is the final one, as we see Malcolm, tired from constant threats to him and his family, rethinking his activist philosophy and attempting to build his new Muslim religious order. Physically, this is essentially the same version of Malcolm we get after his return from Hajj, bearded and bespectacled. But there's a subtle exhaustion, an almost resignation that this will lead to his death, while simultaneously knowing that he couldn't stop doing what he's doing even if he wanted to.

Verdict: This movie is too long, but Denzel's performance is worth the investment

Malcolm X (1992) Official Trailer [FHD] - YouTube

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While Denzel is certainly Oscar-worthy in this movie, whether or not "Malcolm X" was snubbed for a Best Picture nomination is a matter of debate.

Simply put, at over 200 minutes, it's just too long. There's no way for it to maintain your interest throughout the entire thing, even though it largely succeeds at being engaging. That said, "Scent of a Woman" was also criticized for its length (admittedly, it's nearly 50 minutes shorter than "Malcolm X"), so perhaps that shouldn't be held against only Lee's film. If you told me you'd put in "Malcolm X" over the Martin Brest drama, I don't know that I'd argue with you.

But regardless, Denzel's performance is a must-watch for anyone who claims to love movies. It's one of the best of any actor I've ever seen, and I'm stunned that he lost the Oscar to Al Pacino, in what is an occasionally over-the-top performance. Even if you have to break this up over two sittings (and you could), "Malcolm X" is a movie you need to add to your watchlist, or even revisit if you haven't seen it recently.

Watch "Malcolm X" on MGM+ 7-day free trial

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