Individually, Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X are cultural giants. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t at least know their names. In their heydays, though, when Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion of the world and Malcolm X was a spokesman for the Nation of Islam-- they may have been two of the most famous (or infamous, dependent on who you asked) Black men in America.
While biopics like Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” (1992) and Michael Mann’s “Ali” (2001) have focused on their lives individually, a film that focuses exclusively on their friendship has been hard to find.
That is, until now.
Enter Blood Brothers, directed by Marcus A. Clarke. It’s the first documentary to come out of Kenya Barris’s multi-million dollar Netflix deal and serves as an intriguing, stylish and refreshing encapsulation of two of the most powerful Black men in American history.
The documentary starts off before the friendship, during each man’s rise to power.
For Malcolm X, that means telling the story of Malcolm Little. Malcolm Little was born in 1925 as the son of Reverend Earl Little, a Baptist minister and passionate supporter of Marcus Garvey, one of America’s first prominent Black Nationalists. Malcolm Little learned the power of oration and truth from his father’s preachings.
However, when he was six, Malcolm’s father was murdered by white supremacists. After the loss of his father and the hospitalization of his mother, Malcolm spent his youth in a series of foster homes and relatives, constantly in a state of flux. He became a street hustler and his activities eventually led to him being locked up.
It was in jail, though, that he joined the Nation of Islam and his redemption began. He became disciplined, clean and adopted the name Malcolm X to symbolize his unknown African ancestral surname. After his time in prison, he would become one of the Nation of Islam’s most influential leaders and its most prominent public face besides Elijah Muhammad.
For Muhammad Ali, that means telling the story of Cassius Clay. He was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was brought up in the Jim Crow South and his father was a sign and billboard painter while his mother was a domestic helper. As a dyslexic child, he had difficulty with reading and writing.
When he was thirteen, he was deeply affected by the gruesome murder of Emmet Till, a fourteen year old black boy who was falsely accused of whistling at a white girl during a trip to the South. Nonetheless, the racism and hatred of the Jim Crow south could not dull the prideful flames of Ali, he would go on to excel in boxing.
Eventually known as the “Louisville Lip” due to his braggadocios and confident nature, Ali’s personality captured the attention of America. He won the gold medal in 1960 in Rome and a month after becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1964, Cassius Clay famously changed his name to Muhammad Ali after joining the Nation of Islam.
Marcus Clarke does an excellent job of using his eclectic cast of interviewees to demonstrate the scale of Muhammad Ali’s important name change. That section, which showcases Ali’s devotion to his faith and white America’s fear of Black Muslims is a high-point of the film.
These facts and stories are important because while focusing on their rises, the documentary illuminates the two men’s similarities. Both experienced loss at the hands of a racist country at young ages, grew up to inspire the masses with their powerful, uplifting rhetoric and discovered confidence in the Nation of Islam.
In the end, tragically, it was their similarities that would drive them apart. While they both found refuge in Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam would turn its back on Malcolm after he disobeyed the Messenger’s instructions. As a result of his newfound faith, which was partially nurtured by Malcolm, Muhammad Ali would turn his back on Malcolm.
The documentary features a balanced cast of interviews from well-known commentators like Cornel West, Reverend Al Sharpton and Todd Boyd, amongst others. However, it’s best and most intimate insights come from its interviews with family members like Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz and Muhammad Ali’s brother Rahman Ali.
This film is a combination of well-sourced interviews, an enchanting array of archival footage, a stylish jazz soundtrack and a tragic tale of love, friendship and faith between divine souls that changed this country forever.
Adonis’s Verdict:
Blood Brothers is a must-watch documentary. From the beginning to the end, there’s a sense of reverence and love for its subjects that emanates from the introductions of various interviewees like Melchizedek Supreme Shabazz Allah, the endless array of footage and photographs.
Whether you know a lot or a little about these two men, there’s entertainment and education to be found in Blood Brothers.
Rating: 5/5
Jordan’s Verdict
Clarke’s pacing is a steady build that immerses you completely, making you feel as if you’re witnessing something bigger than yourself. Even when the inevitable comes, the audience still feels sorrow and is appreciative that the stories of the two men can live on forever.
Blood Brothers flirts with perfection with all of its quirks, which do not take away from the history being told. The only thing that could make this movie flawless if they could’ve had the accounts of the two men of honor that unfortunately passed, Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X.
Rating: 4.5/5
