The play’s the thing in this scenical adaptation of playwright/screenwriter Kemp Powers’ fictionalized account of a meeting between NFL great Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.). We open in the Twilight Zone: it’s February 1964, and upon his return home to Georgia, Brown pays a visit to the plantation of family friend, Mr. Carlton (Beau Bridges). Not only does Carlton allow his daughter to entertain a negro on the front porch, he instructs the girl to fetch a couple of glasses of lemonade. It isn’t until Brown’s offer to help move furniture that Carlton reminds him that they “don’t allow ni----- in the house.” The occasion for the group’s gathering at the Green Book-certified Hampton House is to celebrate Clay’s bout with Sonny Liston. Who wins when two black men punch each other’s lights out in the name of sport? Answer: the all-white audience, a chunk of irony Powers asks audiences to swallow whole. The four men all stand at pivotal crossroads in their lives: Brown is poised to make the move from the gridiron to the big screen, Malcolm X is set to sever ties with the Nation of Islam while at the same time asking Clay to change his name to Muhammed Ali and join him. Mercilessly dogged by Malcolm’s accusations that his bland, apolitical chart-toppers point to a sellout, Cooke was never really able to fulfill his promise to change. A motel encounter later that year ended with Cooke being shot to death later under mysterious circumstances. For her debut feature, actress-turned-director Regina King serves her cast well, but as soon as the foursome hit the hotel room, there are but two places to go that will open things up: the parking lot and the rooftop. That said, Powers’ powerful dialogue and the sterling work of the four leads make this a must-see. (2021) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.