Always_against_torture

I have to say I feel the user rating for this film is pretty unfair. It does depend what you're after – if it's great art or a new perspective on the world then this is not the film for you. But on another day or night, when you just want to have some harmless senseless fun, it could be. It's not normally my standard type fare, but I found myself smirking away, and occasionally full on laughing at Farley's antics. There's nothing particular I can add regarding the "plot" that I think will be particularly helpful. But watching it left me feeling rather melancholy about the fact he's gone - he would have made a lot more people happy if he'd been around to continue. All that said, I bumped into it on cable, and watched it off TV. I might have been a bit less pleased with it if I'd paid rental fees.

Firstly let me express my appreciation to those who have written in to draw attention to this film's failings. Unfortunately I did not heed your words, but I will now make my own small offering in the hopes that someone somewhere, someday (who knows, perhaps even a whole family?), will be spared the experience of sitting through this film. In truth I think there would be vastly more negative reviews on here, except, most people that begin watching this film surely do not see it through to the end, and thus, do not perhaps feel qualified to comment, and so ultimately leave it to others to do. The sample, as a result, is massively skewed in this case (far more so than with most other films, where much greater portions of the audience likely see them to the end).

My wife was one of those who did not see it through. A sensitive and intellectually disciplined woman - a graduate student in English literature, who regularly reads massive books through: Ulysses & the bible come to mind - she simply couldn't muster the strength of will to persevere long enough to see this thing out. I don't blame her one bit. I felt exactly the same way, but owing to circumstances had to stay up anyways, so finished the matter off.

In terms of technical critique, I really haven't any idea where to begin. The film makes no sense. What most of the characters do in most of the situations they face is not what any humans I've met in my travels would do. Most links are not made. We were left sitting there asking why did x do that? innumerable times. How come he has the donkey now - I don't understand, whose donkey is it now? - innumerable times. And we didn't care. There was no reason to. I can't think of any of the human characters who were likable, or really believable. Causation, reasoning, subtlety, all utterly absent.

Afterwards I watched the film critic on the DVD telling us why he liked the film. He was a very imprecise wordsmith - his meaning was left unclear invariably, and I felt, in the end, he had astonishingly little to impart.

And, lastly, I was really offended that they did what they did physically to the donkey. I know most of it was "faked" but there were certain things that weren't, couldn't have been. Just no excuse for it.

Reading through the comments of previous viewers on here left me with a feeling of pronounced envy for the one who fell asleep.

I knew rather little about Malcolm X prior to seeing this documentary, but it does such a good job of bringing you along & keeping you up to speed that I never felt lost - though I did rewind a few times to be sure I had heard/understood exactly what was said. Since I have little prior knowledge of Malcolm it's difficult for me to assess precisely how honest/accurate this portrayal was - but it certainly felt genuine. They had clearly put quite a bit of effort into their research as well, and seemingly done a very good job of digging out appropriate persons to interview.

By way of constructive criticism – it is worth considering that at times the film maker would have done well to juxtapose some of the stories and comments being offered by different interviewees. For a masterful (albeit so much so that full emulation is beyond the capacities of most of us mortals) example of such film making you may wish to consider the example of "The Sorrow and the Pity", by Marcel Ophüls. That film assesses the choices different people made in the face of questions of complicity with systemic cruelty and evil in Nazi occupied France. Similar questions are present in the matters treated by this film, and I rather felt the pathetic and latterly rationalised cowardice of Philbert & Wilfred X, and the confident unemotional and dehumanised ruthlessness of the bald former NOI captain (whose name escapes me), very much echoed some of the more glaring moments from Ophüls masterpiece. The difference was Bagwell basically let it slide, whereas Ophüls juxtaposed such material with comments from others, forcing the audience to confront the full ugliness of either or both the context & the participants subsequent choice.

Nevertheless, this was a very well made documentary. I note that a previous reviewer suggested it is one of the best he's ever seen, & I feel comfortable saying the same. To say it is less well done than "The Sorrow & the Pity" – as I have essentially done - is in actuality very high praise.

While I gave this film a 9 it was either that or a 10, and if there was a 9.5 category it definitely would have gone in there.