MLK/FBI

2021 • 106 minutes

About this movie

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 LITTLE GIRLS, MO' BETTER BLUES; Director/Producer, EYEZ ON THE PRIZE, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I'VE GOTTA BE ME) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King's activism throughout the '50s and '60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.

Ratings and reviews

Based on a false premise. My great uncle was on the surveillance team. Hoover's only interest was in matching names and faces to the Soviet codenames in the Naval Intelligence files (later part of the Venona archive). Any personal information was collected at the end of the day by DOJ agents and taken to Bobby. The Kennedys were running the whole show, including the blackmail scheme.

Dr King,, The greatest civil rights leader the past 100 yrs even stated violence is self defeating. This shows you that Antifa and even BLM are not helping the people right now, and are even hurting civil rights and prosperity. Peacefully protest and stand as one for good no matter the battle, not a mob of thugs loathing in hate creating damage and more hate. Same for all sides.

The majority of students today don't learn the MLK story and that is is done deliberately and they have very good logic behind that choice. The process of the effective protest in that non violent spirit is a terrifying idea and that fear is justified. The only vehicle by which chance ever happens is via this playbook. Confident independent people who are able to think and question critically simply isn't an option for a corporate setting they much a cyborg