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From the mid-1950s until his death in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired the nation and helped to change history through his stirring speeches and his peaceful protests. But not everyone was inspired by the beloved civil rights leader—and the documentary MLK/FBI goes behind the scenes to explore the FBI’s scrutiny.
MLK/FBI examines some of the declassified files that explore the government’s difficult relationship with civil rights activists of the 1960s—especially King. Already under suspicion for his close relationship with former Communist Party member Stanley Levison, King came under tighter surveillance as his popularity and impact grew. And while some members of the government supported the civil rights movement, FBI head J. Edgar Hoover didn’t approve of anyone who wanted to shake up the status quo—so he authorized wiretaps and bugs in an attempt to tarnish the beloved leader’s reputation.
Told through voice-over interviews with historians, government officials, and some of King’s friends and associates, MLK/FBI follows the strained relationship between King and Hoover’s FBI as it grew from indifference to suspicion and eventually into surveillance and even harassment and threats. Threatened by the charismatic leader, Hoover gradually shifted his mission, stepping beyond simply looking for proof that King was a danger to the American people—that he was committing actual crimes—and focusing instead on digging for dirt that could be used against him.
Director Sam Pollard tells a story that’s troubling but also not entirely surprising—a story that often feels painfully relevant today, in these divisive times. The film does reveal some eye-opening information—information that might make you see the respected civil rights leader in a new (and sometimes even unsettling) light. But it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Understandably, the film tries to gloss over some of the more troubling revelations—suggesting that much of the FBI’s claims may have been fabricated or at least exaggerated. But in doing so, while it keeps the film from taking on a scandalous tone, it also makes the story feel less impactful.
In just a few years, more tapes and documents will be unsealed, revealing more of the story of Hoover’s surveillance of King and his associates—and most likely more about King himself. But, for now, MLK/FBI provides a revealing, though imperfect, introduction to the story of King’s constant scrutiny by Hoover and his associates.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
