ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI (15)

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On February 26 1964, four men congregate in Room 245 of the Hampton House Motel & Villas. Two bodyguards, Kareem (Lance Reddick) and Jamaal (Christian Magby), patiently stand by the door, alert to possible threats. Inside, cocksure boxer Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) celebrates victory over Sonny Liston (Aaron D Alexander) and pokes fun at his defeated opponent: “I told you he’s ugly, you should see him up close!” Flanked by good friend Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Clay is poised to publicly confirm his allegiance to the Nation of Islam by changing his name to Muhammad Ali. The impending declaration comes as a shock to the other guests, singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr) and American football player Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).

Inspired by true events, One Night In Miami… floats like a butterfly and occasionally stings like a bee.

Oscar-winning actor Regina King’s directorial debut is an elegantly choreographed verbal boxing match, which trades barbs between the men as they debate their responsibility to the black community to use their platforms for meaningful social change.

Tempers occasionally fray. “You’re a monkey dancing for an organ grinder,” X tells Brown as he prepares to move from the American football field to Hollywood.

Kemp Powers’ assured adaptation of his 2013 stage play expands beyond the four walls of a motel room to give a vibrant sense of the passionate activism of the era. It’s a pivotal moment when frustration and indignation are tempered with hope and brotherly solidarity. The intentionally languid pace allows the four actors to savour Kemp’s dialogue as they wrestle with a place in history.