Boycott

This film, following other classics of histo-drama such as Malcolm X or Cry Freedom, is not a biography of Martin Luther King. Instead, it shows in detail the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the beginnings of Dr. King's philosophy and motivation.

It is somewhat dis-orienting at first, as it is shot both in a documentary style, with references to the camera and a raw, un-cut feel, and in a more traditional style. However, as the movie progresses, you find both styles equally powerful in their methods.'

I found this film particularly moving because I was not alive during the events depicted, and the personification or the real-ization of the characters, people I grew up near worshiping, brought home just how different today's world is from 1950's Alabama.

1955 Montgomery, Alabama is not a warm and nostalgic place and time for most Black folks. Jim Crow laws were prevalent and white supremacy was the order of the day. Even with that being the case Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat to a white person and a movement quietly and auspiciously began.

"Boycott" is about the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama that lasted 381 days. It's a closer look at the bus boycott and its leaders and its participants rather than a macro look at the civil rights movement or just a focus on Martin Luther King, Jr. "Boycott" featured movement leaders such as Ralph Abernathy (Terrence Howard), Jo Ann Robinson (CCH Pounder), E.D. Nixon (Reg E. Cathey), and others. Inevitably it featured MLK (Jeffrey Wright) and his wife Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo). The movie is educational and stirring and Jeffrey Wright did a fantastic job as MLK.

I'd like to take a few sentences to sing the praises of Jeffrey Wright. This man is an Oscar level actor. I first saw him (or remember seeing him) in "Shaft" (2000) and dam if I didn't think he was Puerto Rican. He has played many different roles and he's played them all exceedingly well. Since "Shaft" I've seen him in "Critical Care," "The Manchurian Candidate," "Lady in the Water," "The Invasion," "The Hunger Games" (Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1 and 2) , "Game Night," and "Westworld" the TV series. Not all roles were equal and not all roles were even noteworthy, but he crushed every role he got. Add this movie's role to Wright's list of accomplishments.

"Boycott" tells the story of a pivotal time in the history of a young republic still bleeding from civil war. The famous mid-50's bus boycott of Montgomery which launched the modern American civil rights movement is presented with restraint and an obvious commitment to truth over drama. The film is a well crafted integration of story, real and fabricated file footage, quick vignettes of blacks and whites expressing sentiments of the time, and an interesting wandering between color and black and white all serving to keep the sense of history alive and to prevent the viewer from becoming inured to the magnitude of the issues being presented. Kudos to Wright for an excellent portrayal of a great American leader. A good, entertaining history lesson for all.

In the thirty-three years since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death, his life has taken on an almost mythical status. The result is that people often forget that he was a real living and breathing man. He was a person who loved (and made love to) his wife. Dr. King was an intelligent man with the gift of oratory, but otherwise ordinary, who suddenly found himself thrust into an extraordinary situation. Commend HBO, director Clark Johnson, the screenwriters and the incredible cast for breathing life into the often told story of Dr. King and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Previous films on Dr. King, paint him as an almost superhuman figure -- a saint even. With Boycott, the filmmakers have wisely brought him "down to earth' and reveal Dr. King as a noble, but clearly human being who has feelings and weaknesses. Remember Dr. King was only 26 years old with a young wife and child, when the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. Also significant is that the film explores Dr. King's relationship with his father at the time. All of these elements help to give the film a special power that will resonate with viewers. Jeffrey Wright gives a powerful performance in the lead role than rivals if not surpasses Denzel Washington's performance as Malcolm X. Wright is so riveting, that you actually forget that you are watching a performance. The film's documentary-style approach also gives the film an almost eerie sense of realism. There's also some more subtle touches that help to place the viewer into the period. Some of the most striking were the scenes showing how black passengers were required to pay their bus fare and how they were treated once they got on the bus. Boycott is not a mere "history lesson," but a moving portrait of a time and the role that a people played in improving their quality of life.

While thousands of mourners poured into the Georgia Capitol rotunda on Saturday to pay tribute to Coretta Scott King, the first woman and the first black person to lie in honor in what once was once a seat of segregation, I revisited events that occurred in the beginning of the Civil Rights movement by watching Boycott. Carmen Ejogo did an outstanding job playing Mrs. King, and Terrance Howard was equally good as the Rev. Abernathy. I hope to get a chance to see him in Hustle & Flow, as I remember him being fantastic in Crash. Jeffrey Wright came a long way from his role as Peoples in Shaft to play the Rev Martin Luther King Jr. I have several films on my list to see that he plays in and I am looking forward to seeing him in those roles. Boycott was a revealing and fascinating look at people's struggle for respect.