10 Best Movies About Malcolm X, Ranked

Malcolm X’s life and legacy have been explored on screen through dramas, documentaries, and television films that trace his evolution from youth to global figure. Filmmakers have used archival footage, interviews, and scripted performances to document his religious journey, his leadership, and the pivotal events that shaped his final years.

This list brings together ten feature length works that center Malcolm X or place him at the core of major historical moments. The entries include theatrical releases, television films, and documentaries that map key relationships, significant travels, and the circumstances surrounding his assassination.

‘Betty and Coretta’ (2013)

This television film follows Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King in the years after the deaths of their husbands. It presents the work Betty Shabazz undertook to preserve Malcolm X’s legacy while raising her family and continuing community engagement. The cast includes Mary J Blige as Betty Shabazz and Angela Bassett as Coretta Scott King.

The production recreates public appearances, campus talks, and organizational efforts that kept both legacies active in civic life. It also features scenes that show how Malcolm X’s ideas circulated through schools, cultural institutions, and local initiatives guided by Betty Shabazz.

‘Death of a Prophet’ (1981)

This made for television drama depicts the day of the assassination through a mix of dramatized scenes and documentary style elements. Morgan Freeman portrays Malcolm X in sequences that reconstruct movements, meetings, and moments that preceded the killing at the Audubon Ballroom.

The film uses interviews and staged reflections to place supporting figures and locations in context. It focuses on time, place, and logistics to outline how the day unfolded and to document the people who encountered Malcolm X in his final hours.

‘The Real Malcolm X’ (1992)

This television documentary compiles news footage, speeches, and contemporaneous reporting to examine Malcolm X’s rise as a national figure. It presents press conferences, campus debates, and interviews that show how his public message developed over time.

The program organizes the material chronologically so viewers can follow changes in his positions and affiliations. It also situates key events within the broader media environment of the period to show how coverage influenced public understanding.

‘Ali’ (2001)

This biographical drama charts Muhammad Ali’s career through the mid sixties and early seventies and presents Malcolm X as a significant presence during Ali’s religious transition. Mario Van Peebles appears as Malcolm X in scenes that recreate meetings, public appearances, and the period when the two men moved in the same circles.

The film includes sequences that show how travel, training camps, and press obligations intersected with religious instruction and friendship. It places Malcolm X within the larger social landscape around Ali to show how personal choices and public identity were shaped.

‘One Night in Miami…’ (2020)

This drama imagines an evening in Miami in February 1964 with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown in conversation. Kingsley Ben Adir plays Malcolm X in scenes that reconstruct the setting after Ali’s title win and the private discussions that followed.

The production draws on historical timelines to anchor locations, wardrobe, and period details. It connects each man’s career stage to the issues on the table that night and shows how Malcolm X documented the evening with photographs and notes.

‘Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali’ (2021)

This documentary examines the friendship and eventual estrangement between Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. It draws on interviews with family members, associates, and historians to trace how the relationship formed and why it fractured.

The film organizes its narrative around key meetings, public appearances, and travel schedules. It also presents archival audio that maps the shift in tone between the two men and shows how organizational pressures influenced the split.

‘Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X’ (1994)

This feature documentary investigates the killing at the Audubon Ballroom and the inquiries that followed. It collects interviews with witnesses, journalists, and former associates to reexamine the planning, the shooting, and the legal aftermath.

The film pays close attention to names, places, and timelines that were contested in the public record. It also highlights new testimony and documents that circulated in the decades after 1965 to revisit assumptions about responsibility.

‘Malcolm X’ (1972)

Also known as ‘Malcolm X: His Own Story As It Really Happened’, this documentary uses interviews, speeches, and archival footage to cover his life from childhood to the final year. James Earl Jones provides narration that links chapters drawn from contemporary sources.

The film presents extended speech excerpts that allow viewers to track changes in language and emphasis across different periods. It also includes material on travel in Africa and the Middle East that influenced his later positions.

‘Malcolm X: Make It Plain’ (1994)

Produced for ‘American Experience’, this documentary follows Malcolm X’s development within the Nation of Islam, his international travel, and the reorientation that came with new religious understanding. Alfre Woodard narrates a timeline that pairs personal milestones with political events.

The program features interviews with family members, colleagues, and scholars alongside extensive archival footage. It presents detailed context for the creation of new organizations and the security concerns that marked the final months.

‘Malcolm X’ (1992)

This epic biographical drama directed by Spike Lee stars Denzel Washington as Malcolm X and adapts the major sections of ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’. The film covers youth, incarceration and self education, leadership within the Nation of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca, and the events leading to the assassination.

The production uses large scale location work and period accurate design to recreate key settings. It also includes on screen reproductions of photographs and publications from the era to align scenes with the historical record.

Which film about Malcolm X would you add to this list and why not share your pick in the comments?