Spike Lee is full of surprises, and certainly "Malcolm X" is his most surprising film yet.

As an energetic, ambitious and sometimes angry filmmaker, Lee has too often let his passions get in the way of his storytelling in such films as "Do the Right Thing" and "Jungle Fever" — though both are very good films.

But with "Malcolm X," a movie that could have been very angry and even exploitative, Lee has toned down the heat and allowed the story to unfold with fewer gimmicks than usual.

Oh, Lee's trademarks are still in full force — his wild, roving camera work; constant background music, sometimes at the expense of dialogue; and even a moment when his protagonist seemingly floats, rather than walks, down the boulevard.

In addition, Lee has taken a page or two from Oliver Stone's "JFK" (which he has recently said in interviews is a favorite of his) — from an occasional documentary-style format to unexpected cameos by recognizable "name" actors to grandstanding messages that are a bit overwrought.

But how could a movie about Malcolm X not be complex and challenging, for certainly the man was just that.

Malcolm's childhood is revealed in occasional flashbacks, as we see that his preacher father was murdered by Ku Klux Klansmen. Subsequently, the children were taken away and placed in state homes. Malcolm finds himself the only black child in a white school and is told that his ambition to become a lawyer is unrealistic. His teacher suggests he consider carpentry instead.

Lee's film actually begins in 1940s Boston, as we meet teenage Malcolm Little (Denzel Washington) and his pal Shorty (Lee), straightening their hair and pranc