By Hoai-Tran Bui/Oct. 2, 2020 11:30 am EST
/Film’s Chris Evangelista saw the film at TIFF, calling the film “a knockout loaded with superb performances,” and writing in his review, “One Night in Miami never once feels preachy, or overly speechy. The conversations seem natural, as does the chemistry between these performers. We truly get the sense that they all know and care for each other, and even when they’re on the verge of fighting, the respect and love they all share comes burning through. It’s impossible not to become engrossed with what we’re seeing; we want to spend as much time with these guys as we possibly can, and when the film fades to darkness, we’re sorry to see them go.”
Here is the synopsis for One Night in Miami, which stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr.:
The film is produced by Jess Wu Calder and Keith Calder of Snoot Entertainment and Jody Klein of ABKCO. King and Powers are executive producers alongside Chris Harding and Paul O. Davis.
Set on the night of February 25, 1964, the story follows a young Cassius Clay (before he became Muhammad Ali) as he emerges from the Miami Beach Convention Center the new World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Against all odds, he defeated Sonny Liston and shocked the sports world. While crowds of people swarm Miami Beach to celebrate the match, Clay – unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws – instead spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in one of Miami’s historically black neighborhoods celebrating with three of his closest friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown. The next morning, the four men emerge determined to define a new world for themselves and their people.
