ALI
Starring:
Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Jeffrey Wright and
Mykelti Williamson
Director: Michael Mann
Running Time: 159 mins
Certificate: 15
Out to buy on DVD 24th June
1964 and a young twenty-two year-old boxer is about to fight Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. The fight is only expected to last a single round but this young fighter does not fear the Champion, he dances around the ring with supreme confidence knowing that Cassius Clay was about to become the greatest boxer of all time. While his boxing skill is unquestionable, his private life starts to transcend his sporting achievements. His devotion to the Islamic faith, his refusal to be drafted into the army and his decision to change his name are all drawing attention from what was the undeniable truth; Muhammad Ali (Smith) is the Champion of the World.
Director Michael Mann charts ten years (1964 - 1974) of the life of the most famous sports personality of all time. Does he succeed in capturing the essence of that time in Muhammad Ali's life; the answer is yes and no. While the fights and interviews show the public perception of the man with the utmost authenticity, the scenes showing his private life seem rushed and un-involving. The movie is very disjointed. You have pivotal moments in Ali's life thrown at you with no reference of when these events took place or what his motivations were for taking these actions. Why did he become a Muslim? Was the Black-Islamic community just using him as a symbol to draw attention to their cause? How much money did he earn in his early career and how come it disappeared so quickly during his run in with the Draft board. Was Ali a target for surveillance by the CIA/FBI? All of the questions are thrown at you and never really answered.
What saves the movie is the performances of the cast. Jamie Foxx is excellent as Ali's motivator Bundini Brown and Jon Voight is unrecognisable as veteran ABC Boxing commentator Howard Cosell but this is Will Smith's finest hour. He captures everything Muhammad Ali bought to the world of boxing. His skill, creativity, confidence and grace in the ring and his pure showmanship outside of it are brilliantly captured with an unquestionable devotion to the role. The pre-fight weight-ins and the interactions between Ali and Cosell are absolutely a joy to watch. Both Will Smith and Jon Voight deserve their Oscar nominations.
The fight sequences are the most realistic ever shown on the big screen. Where Rocky was the unbelievable and Raging Bull the artistic dance, Ali is a projection of realism that is a credit to Will Smith, his opponents and the director Michael Mann. The camera takes you into the middle of the action and you can almost feel every punch.
The brilliant performances and amazing boxing matches are just enough to distract you from the inadequacies of background plot. You still feel slightly let down by the whole experience however, as you don't get to find out as much as you would like to about the great man.
HBO 'Making Of' Special, Behind The Scenes, Cast and Crew Soundbites, Trailer, Interactive Menu, Scene Access & Dolby Digital 5.1 & dts
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