"Get Your Hands Out of My Damn Pockets"

Malcolm X.  Dir. Spike Lee
        Feat. Denzel Washington (Malcolm X), Angela Bassett (Betty Shabazz), Spike Lee
        (Shorty), Delroy Lindo (West Indian Archie)
        Donald Patrick Kelly (School teacher)
        Warner Bros., 1992.

        Spike Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X was all about the life of the great African American civil rights activist Malcolm Little “Malcolm X.” Denzel Washington does a great job spotlighting the life of Malcolm X. Like the main character in the previous films [somewhat awkward construction  -  also includes a shift in number] we watched in class, Malcolm built his life from the bottom up.
     
      Malcolm was convicted on [of] some conspiracy crimes that many people did not agree with. Like [Similar to] Adonis “Creed” Johnson and Oliver Grant [both portrayed by Michael B Jordan] he took advantage of his time in jail to improve his life. When he was in school, before his time in jail, he had a teacher for whom I feel was a big motivation for Malcolm. When Malcolm told him that he wanted to be a lawyer, his teacher replied back with “think of something more realistic; like a carpenter.” Malcolm was more than this; he was not going to let anyone tell him he cannot do something.

        Malcolm was apart [apart as one word means separate from] of the Nation of Islam (NOI). He was also an advocate for human rights, more specifically the rights for African Americans. After Brother Johnson [a fellow Black Muslim] was beaten by police, Malcolm led a march from the precinct to the hospital. There he demanded that Johnson receive proper medical care. This really stood out to me, because Malcolm dedicated initiative and pride for not only a close friend, but for a bigger picture: racial injustice.

        Malcolm was a firm believer in working and advocating for what he believed in, but not everybody agreed with him. Specifically, many of those apart of the Nation of Islam. Those in the Nation of Islam believed that Malcolm was becoming too big for his name. The hate was so bad that Malcolm, along with his family received death threats. Malcolm was so on edge that he laid in bed at night with a gun. One night, some people torched his house and burnt it to the ground. This was a motif of a clip showed earlier in the film: images Malcolm’s late father’s old home being torched by the Ku Klux Klan.

        On February 21st, as he gave a speech in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan Malcolm was set to begin a speech at the Audubon Ballroom. Just as he began his speech a gentleman hollered, “Get your hands out of my damn pockets!” Then chaos occurred. Malcolm was shot several times by members of the Nation of Islam who bum rushed the stage. Malcolm’s wife Betty weeped as she laid there on the stage next to her dead husband. Malcolm X died fighting for what he believed in, and is considered to be a hero to many.

        This film ranks in the middle 50% for all of our viewings this year; it’s neither my favorite, nor my least favorite. This was a good time to pick to show this film. February is Black Heritage Month, and Malcolm X is known to be one of the most iconic African Americans in history.