Eli Goree

Eli Goree's Cassius Clay enjoys being listened to, but he is still affected by the people around him. In One Night in Miami... (2020), Goree makes that confidence enjoyable without allowing it to flatten every exchange. His rhythmic delivery and physical assurance give us a recognisable young boxer; his responsiveness makes the conversations worth following. We warmed to him because his exuberance never made him seem beyond the reach of somebody else's opinion. A drama this conscientious needs someone capable of enjoying himself.

Athletic roles recur in Goree's work, though they only partly explain what makes Clay engaging. Wells Jaha in The 100 (2014) helped establish him on American television, while Race (2016) cast him as high jumper Dave Albritton. Playing Munroe ‘Mad Dog’ Moore in Riverdale (2018–2020) extended that television work. One Night in Miami... was the significant film breakthrough, giving his physical confidence room alongside wit and vulnerability.

Regina King's direction makes good use of his willingness to respond to the other actors. Aldis Hodge's Jim Brown is quieter, often drawing our attention while somebody else speaks, and Goree's exuberance benefits from that contrast. The actors let us see how an enjoyable certainty can become irritating to the people listening, then adjust to one another. Dialect coach Tré Cotten helped Goree prepare Clay's voice, but the pleasure of the performance is hearing it in company, where the others need not agree with him.

The reservation is in the writing: some exchanges are too neatly phrased to sound spontaneous. Goree brings welcome life to them, though there are passages where the careful wording remains conspicuous. The film stays absorbing because its performers keep the disagreements personal, and Goree deserves his share of the credit. Start with King's film; we would be interested to see him given as much to do with someone less sure of himself.