‘Killing Castro,’ the debut feature from Eif Rivera, delves into an interesting moment in history when Fidel Castro (Diego Boneta) and Malcolm X (Kendrick Sampson) met at the historic Hotel Theresa in Harlem.
With two fascinating political figures, the volatile 1960s political backdrop, and an assassination attempt thrown into the mix, Killing Castro seemed to have the makings of a fascinating political thriller. Sadly, that was not the case, as due to a limited budget and scope, the film never dives deep enough into the politics or personalities at play.
The film is told through the lens of two hotel workers, played by Xolo Mariduena and Kiki Layne, and while the two delivered lead strong performances in previous films (such as Blue Beetle and If Beale Street Could Talk respectively), and solid in this film it’s clear they’re given limited character to work with. As such, they feel more like passengers to go from conversation-to-conversation, with any development explained to us rather than showing it.
There was potential to make the Hotel Theresa a character in itself, or a reflection of Harlem’s political turmoil in the ’60s, but that doesn’t really happen. Diego Boneta gives a solid performance as Castro, but even he’s hampered with relatively one note characterization that barely explores his politics or personality apart from the broad strokes. Malcolm X is barely in the movie, and even when the two finally do meet, there’s very little in the form of nuanced discussion or discourse on their politics or the ramifications of their meeting. Al Pacino comes and goes as a federal agent, but he’s also not in the movie enough to leave an impression.
As a political thriller, Killing Castro features a lot of cliche talk with little depth. There’s little energy in the performances or momentum in the conversations, and the direction overall looks drab and lifeless. By the time we get to Mariduena getting roped into the assassination attempt, the lack of tension or engaging characters makes the exercise feel lifeless.
Killing Castro either needed to be a longer movie (or a mini series) that can explore the full scope of Castro’s meeting with Malcolm X as a reflection of ’60s political turmoil, or a self contained minimalist film based entirely on Castro and Malcolm X’s conversation with a strong directorial hand. Sadly, this film is neither, helmed by a director who played it too safe with raw material ripe with potential. I hope the film acts as a jumping off point for audiences to explore the conflict between Castro and the U.S., because they won’t get a lot from the film itself.
