Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021) Poster

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8/10
A Cult-like Religion Ruins A Great Friendship
syd990710 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary was sad all the way around. It has a ton of archival footage, photos and soundbites from both Ali's family and X's. The simple truth at the core of this documentary is that Elijah Muhammad was a fraud and a hypocrite, yet, when Malcolm X found out about him having all of those children by underage girls, and started seeing him for the liar he was, that was the catalyst that started him on a downward spiral within the Nation of Islam.

But what both frustrated and infuriated me is how Ali allowed religion to run his friendship with Malcolm X. The documentary showed that X had Ali's back, but it was such a pity that Ali didn't have his when it was most needed. That's why you should NEVER allow a religion to cloud your mind, nor play fast and loose with your better judgement. No religion should EVER be able to dictate to you about your life and who you can and cannot have in it. To me, that's not a religion it's a cult.

This is a very thorough and insightful documentary. It was a little hard to watch because you already know how it'll end, but well worth the effort.

And as a side note, Ali did regret not repairing his friendship with Malcolm X, and he said that was the one thing that he regretted all of his life.
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7/10
Great Documentary
mikeiskorn23 September 2021
This wasn't as boring as some people have been saying. I for one thought it was very well put together, informative and showed the contrast between these two huge figures. The ups, down and everything in between. I know there are a lot of other documentaries about these two but if you're looking for an interesting documentary, look no further.
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8/10
Inspiring but emotive and sad.. a taste of past revolutionary times
ska-5451916 September 2021
I really enjoyed this. I just wish it had been longer and with even more details.

Both Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X are inspiring figures. Ali is like a sports jock with the muscles to push the ideas forward, and Malcolm is a true intellectual who was the first to question Elijah's authority. What a hero Malcolm is to pay for his life knowing the risk he was under for criticising the fervour of the Black Muslims' devotion to false messenger Elijah. There was a review blaming religion. No, the problem was the cult of Nation of Islam. The religion of Islam actually enlightened Malcolm X to treat all people, white or black, as equal in brotherhood despite his previous experiences of being marginalised as a black man in America. Religion is what inspired Malcolm to fight for higher ideals of justice and truth, rather than the usual pursuits that people like to go after of money, fame and accolade. He risked his life for what he believed in.

Appreciating the true revolutionaries of the past helps to put the present situation into perspective. More like this please Netflix..
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7/10
Good documentary but
Riddler9122 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I really don't like it when we're presented bits of information about certain characters, leading up to "lies of omission" so to speak. Marcus Garvey is presented as a cult figure and nobody says nothing but good things about him. It should be noted, though, that Marcus Garvey was a self-proclaimed fascist, one of the few in America at the time, even more, he claimed he was the original fascist which was baloney, of course, since Mussolini was the father of fascism. Nevertheless, I feel like this was a bit of information that shouldn't have missed even though it damages a little of Garvey's reputation. Otherwise, the bits about Malcolm were accurate and I like that it showed that there were a lot of black people who weren't inspired by Luther King's peaceful ways.
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10/10
A Sad Tale About What Religious Fervor Can Do To Spoil A Wonderful Brotherhood
lordsoracle29 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Just from watching this documentary and reading the reviews of the same. No I did not find it boring at all. If anything, as an ardent student of history and a reader of the Autobiography of Malcolm X and his many works, this documentary brings to light an aspect I never knew about Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali and how they separated.

Watching Muhammad Ali turn his back on Malcolm X was very sad. And further realizing just how powerful cults like the Nation of Islam and their founder can be on individuals to completely sever such a wonderful bond is always heartbreaking.

In spite of the fact that Muhammad Ali did indeed through the words of his daughter and that of X's daughter admit regret, it still leaves a great sense of sorrow that it had to take the demise of THEM (The Honorable Elijah Muhammad) for him to awaken from the spell... too little too late.

Overall, I found this very informative and gets a 10 from me.
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8/10
Fighting ... together?
kosmasp8 November 2021
I have to admit, while individually I knew things about both those icons, I was not too aware on their shared (his)story. So while others, you(?), may already be in an advantage considering the focus of this documentary, I don't think it was bad not knowing much. I had quite a few moments during the movie, that felt ... well a lot of feelings actually that I went through. And I reckon the same will be true for you.

Sometimes you wonder, why or how some people who are/were meant to be together, help each other out, have issues with each other. So this is not just some good feel thing you are about to watch. A lot of animosity, a lot of other things will come forth. Again, you may be aware of many of them (or most of them), but it is really well told and edited. It makes sense for those not too aware of circumstances ... like myself.
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9/10
Great doc, 1 thing missing though
mertyasinsamed-8303031 December 2023
Great documentary. As a muslim, it hurt me seeing all those people fall into the cult of the self proclaimed messenger Elijah Muhammad. The nation of islam was a cult, and its leader was a weak, insecure and perverse person who manipulated Ali and Malcolm X for his own ego and power. Seeing him talk, with his inflated ego, made my blood boil. That man abused islam for his own benefit, he took something pure and created from it something as vile and dirty as the nation of islam, and for that I will not forgive him.

The thing I would have liked to see more of, however, was Malcolm X's journey to Mecca. On this journey he encountered many things that conflicted with his own vision of the world, and apart from his bravery and confidence, Malcolm's most admirable quality in my eyes was his willingness to overthrow his ideologies and adapt his beliefs to the world he saw; a world that became clear for him on his journey to Mecca. This is where Malcolm's part as an intellectual truly rises. He doesn't cling onto his ideologies when it's the easier thing to do; he could have made it big were he to stick with the nation of islam. But he chooses not to, purely for his own moral reasons. That's greatness.

I am sure Ali saw through the lies as well, but to him boxing came first at the time, and he probably didn't want the same happening to him as happened with Malcolm. It still hurt to see him talk about his friend like that.

Just like Malcolm X, Ali saw his beliefs in the nation of islam challenged and changed after his journey to Mecca, where he met other muslims. I find it fascinating that both of these giants had their eyes opened after the exact same spiritual journey. In a way I find it beautiful and tragic, that Ali had the same realisations because of the same events, only to be too late. I wish the documentary focused more on all of this.
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4/10
Inspirational movie yes but boring
18Buddha17 September 2021
I understand that these people were inspirational and all that but this documentary was very boring. I had to fast forward it during many many scenes cause it was honestly putting me to sleep.

I found it fascinating to learn about these famous historical people but maybe its just how this documentary was produced n created it just screamed boring at you. It would be nice if they had added a fun narrator with energy and liveliness i guess?
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