Malcolm X (1992, 91%)

Critics Consensus: Anchored by a powerful performance from Denzel Washington, Spike Lee’s biopic of the legendary civil rights leader brings his autobiography to life with an epic sweep and a nuanced message.

In Spike Lee’s epic drama, Denzel Washington portrays the late activist at several points in his life. A controversial figure during his lifetime, Malcolm X nevertheless helped to define the plight of African-Americans to society at large like few before him.