Ali

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I saw Ali at the theatre and went even ahead and bought the DVD. The reason is simple, this movie is GREAT. I am 25 years old and so was not borne when Ali was at his prime, but everyone who was told me that Ali was the greatest. When I saw this movie I knew why. Ali is much more than an outstanding boxer; he is a hero and an inspiration to the oppressed, the poor, and the mistreated. Ali's life personifies integrity, and the price one has to pay for the courage and privilege of living with integrity. This movie really focuses on the crux of what makes Ali a phenomenon.
The soundtrack is breathtaking and Will Smith is darn lucky to play in this movie; his best role ever.
There is a problem with the DVD though. Under "Scene Selection", Ali's fight against Frazier is termed "Ali vs. Frazier II". That's incorrect because the one shown is actually "Ali vs. Frazier I".
Another problem with the DVD is that it doesn't show how the movie was made.

Rating:
Summary: CONVOLUTED & PATCHY.
Review: I love Michael Mann and almost all his other movies. His class as a director is obvious in Ali too, the visual play at work is phenomenal, but the movie is too long and winding a potrait of what could have been an interesting character. We hit that spot with a press conference sequence, and perhaps a couple of bouts or so, but overall the movie is a bore.

To begin, Will Smith is a top actor and you can see him doing his best here, but ultimately one wonder if he was the right man to bring the kind of pizzazz and intensity that Denzel Washington carried in The Hurricane. And to think that Ali is a more prominent boxer.

When one watches a biopic, it would be reasonable to want to come out of the theatre having some clarity on how the person's life progressed, what his personality was like and so on. Instead, I left with a feeling of "What just happened". The film lacks a smooth narrative, we patch and cut from one place to another. Jamie Foxx lends some of the human drama to the movie, but unfortunately at times when it was least required.

I happened to see the documentary "When we were kings" recently, and for boxing fans that is a must-watch for the last bout between Foreman and Ali. That pretty much sums up my regard for this lacklustre movie from an otherwise magnum director.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully made, but sadly unnecessary
Review: Ali is such a fascinating character - and his life has such narrative sweep - that I can see why so many people are driven to make movies about him: not to mention books, TV shows, documentaries, paintings, and a hundred other things.

But that's exactly the challenge that Mann was up against: how do you take a mythical story that has been almost obsessively documented, the details of which most people know, and make something new and interesting out of it? How do you take a larger than life character and make a human being out of him?

Even before seeing this film, I felt that the challenge was probably insurmountable. The only way I thought this movie could be a success would be if it focused closely on one small part of Ali's life, and explored aspects of his character that were usually hidden from the public eye.

Now, Mann wisely ends the movie with the Zaire fight, but the canvas is still too broad: we get a little bit of Ali the man and far too much of Ali the theatrical showman. The reason the latter should have been kept out of the movie is that so much of that side of Ali is ALREADY on tape - and no one plays Ali better than himself. Will Smith does an admirable impersonation, but it's pretty much direct recreation: and I didn't see the point when we could see Ali himself.

This movie came out very close to the documentary When We Were Kings, and it suffers terribly from the comparison, for just the reason that I mentioned: you see how much depth there is in Ali performing himself, and realize how unnecessary this film is.

It must be said that Ali is beautifully shot; the boxing scenes are indeed brilliantly put together, but they all have that same feeling of impersonation, like Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho, although not to the same ridiculous extent.

The material never really has narrative shape, either - the Zaire fight was a good place to end, but it didn't feel satisfying. We know too much about what came afterwards. And the editing isn't always sharp, either: some parts of Ali's life are too quickly sped through, and others are underlined too darkly - do we need ten minutes of Ali running through Zaire, for example? I got the idea (that he was incredibly important to black people everywhere) in about half the time.

The only theme that I picked up - that seemed like it connected all the loose threads of this film - was how much Ali was a pawn in other people's games. Despite all of his bravura and confidence, he's essentially controlled by one person after another: Malcolm X, different members of the nation of Islam, Don King, even - in some ways - Mobutu. Some of them are good angels and some bad, but all use him for their own purposes. He remains, to some extent, a little boy that isn't confident in anything but his abilities in the ring; for everything else he's willing to let someone else take the reins.

But even this message remains hidden behind too many historical events, too many huge set pieces. I felt like Mann got carried away with the act of recreating the highlights of Ali's life and forgot that the movie was supposed to be about the man - who is as fascinating today as he ever was. Luckily the cameras are still rolling.

Rating:
Summary: The Ali I Remember
Review: I saw the movie because I love Muhammad Ali. I used to clip the articles about his fights out of the Washington Post when I was a little girl 9 and 10 years old. I even used to watch his cartoon show. So I'm not going to pretend to be Leonard Maltin and talk about film techniques and angles and crap like that which I don't care about anyway. I'm going to try to describe what I liked about it.

To consider who would like this movie besides me, I would say that fans would have enjoyed seeing Muhammad Ali on the big screen. I, of course, remember him from the little screen, and if I had bought this VHS version instead of seeing it on the big screen, frankly I don't think I would have felt the power in all his punches like I did in the movie theatre. It was awesome, as I were the one being hit (not that I'd enjoy that)! Apartment dwellers like me who can't have high volume surround sound would truly miss out.

I liked the story. I remember seeing the story of Emmitt Till in the Jet magazine, too, and how repulsed I was as a young child. I can understand the anger he must have felt.

Then I wonder if white audiences will even get this movie. There's plenty that will be over their heads just from a cultural aspect. Are they going to understand why Ali was so moved to go to Africa, where they don't even have TV, and see his image drawn on the sides of houses and walls?

I really enjoyed the performances of the actors. I think someone besides Jada Smith should have been his first wife, but I guess if your husband's going to do a love scene, may as well keep him close. The make-up artist for the movie should have gotten a nomination for making Angelina Jolie's father, Jon Voight, look as if he had undergone major plastic surgery; it was truly amazing.

If the movie didn't play in your part of the world, I believe it's worth getting, although a better one which I'll recommend, is When We Were Kings. The DVDs to both would be better still if you can justify it, just because of the extra material that's likely to be on them.

Rating:
Summary: Four stars in parts, two stars in others
Review: This uneven account of the life of Muhammad Ali (as played by Will Smith) has much to offer, even if it does not hang together as a whole. In many ways, this film is too ambitious in its effort to touch upon many of the complexities of the renowned heavyweight boxer; the film tries to include too much and therefore doesn't fully explore any one aspect. As a result, this film feels incomplete despite its length. Will Smith does an admirable job evoking Ali's outward charm and unreadable emotions, but this public mask often obscures a more intimate exploration. The film succeeds best in more private moments, one on one with other characters, although Will Smith's evocation of Ali's public rhyming is dead-on. The documentation of some of Ali's personal struggles (many of which I was not previously aware of) are both moving and politically/socially charged. At other points, scenes drag on as though the director could not decide when to stop. The acting is good to exceptional, with no one glaringly miscast.

As a Will Smith fan, I could not pass up this film despite mixed reviews. I'm glad I finally saw it. However, I don't recommend it for everyone because of its numerous flaws. If you are a Will Smith or Muhammad Ali fan, you should definitely see it. Likewise, boxing and bioflick enthusiasts should enjoy it. Skip this film if you don't fall into any of the preceding categories since there are many other (and better) films out there.

Rating:
Summary: Too Many Caricatures, but Overall a Fine Film
Review: Though few people in the cast even remotely resemble the people they portray--one would think that Wil Smith, in particular, is just too homely to play the baby-faced Ali, well known for comments about his looks and those of others--Michael Mann's take on the legendary fighter's life merits viewing for many reasons, not the least of which is its determination to focus on Ali as a man rather than a black man. Sure, racism, civil rights, the influence of Islam, and other issues, perhaps, common in films about the experiences of African Americans turn up, but they never overshadow the focus on Ali as a human being whose combination of bravado and personal ethics made him either a role model or a pariah to so many people in the 1960s and 1970s. Surprisingly, the usually lightweight Smith delivers a complex and generally satisfying performance as Ali, showing the man's inner strength with a quiet determination, even if in his more boisterous moments Smith borders on caricature. (The major weakness of the film is that too many characters come across as caricatures, Jon Voight's muppet-like Howard Cosell being the worst offender.) The rest of the cast, including Jamie Foxx, Ron Silver, Joe Morton, Mykelti Williams and other familiar faces, deliver the goods, though Nona Gaye, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Michael Michelle shine in particular as the women in Ali's life. And while its fight scenes never equal those of either "Rocky" or "Raging Bull," the visceral moments of the film still carry great weight, in part because of the effective score and in part because Mann captures reasonably well the look and feel of the period without any "Miami Vice" gloss.

Rating:
Summary: Ali swings and misses!!
Review: Michael Mann's direction of the movie is all over the place. The story doesn't give the whole story. What about his beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky? What was his motivation for joining the Nation of Islam? Who are these women in Ali's life? Don't get me wrong. The performances were the best thing in this movie. Preferrably from Will Smith, Jon Voight and Jamie Foxx. You should be more inclinded to see the movie "The Greatest" which shows Muhammad Ali as himself. And even though the champis stiff as an actor, the story is better represented.

Rating:
Summary: the champ is here!
Review: Will Smith playing Muhammad Ali? Yes, indeed, and surprisingly enough, he does a fantastic job. While he doesn't look too much like Ali, Will Smith bulked up and did a credible job in the ring as Ali (isn't film wonderful?). Where Will Smith really shone was outside the ring, getting to perform as Ali the man. It is in the human portrayal of Muhammad Ali that Will Smith disappears and we can believe that it truly is Ali himself.

Ali was directed by Michael Mann (The Insider, The Last of the Mohicans) and the movie has a slow, deliberate pacing that perfectly serves the film. We get to savor the moments on screen instead of being rushed to the next bit of Ali spitting out beautiful dialogue in rhyme. While it is equally as important to have Ali talking as it is to have him fighting, the scenes that linger a moment or two longer than one might expect help give the overall tone to the film. The perfect example of this is the scene where Ali is dancing with the woman who would become his first wife. The scene is perfectly captured, slowly dancing to the music and it really puts the emotion into the scene. Holding the shot longer helped the scene and the movie.

The movie begins with young Cassius Clay preparing to fight Sonny Liston for the first time and for the championship. The film follows his life and career through Ali winning the championship, marriages (plural), changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, refusing the draft, the Ali-Frazier fight, and finally ends with the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman.

I don't know very much about the life of Muhammad Ali, so I can't comment on the accuracy of the film. Without that knowledge, I can only judge "Ali" on its own merits. This is a fine film with excellent performances (Jon Voight as Howard Cosell stands out, as does Will Smith) and is without question is worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: As expected from Michael Mann, the Director who brought us "Last of the Mohicans", "Ali" is a well-crafted movie. Akin to a Swiss watch, the movie was chronicled with precision from Ali's rose to fame by beating Sonny Liston, his convergence into Islam, his estrangement from his father in particular for dumping the so-called slave name, Cassius Clay, his womanising attribute, his fall with Malcolm X, Ali's refusal to be drafted into the US Army, his close relationships with Cosell (Jon Voight), Howard Bingham (the person who took intimate photographs of him). I would have liked to watch how he got into boxing at the first place due to his stolen bike & subsequently discovered by his trainer, his legendary fights with Joe Frasier, his fight with his Parkinson disease. Maybe it's due to time constraint or maybe, the Director felt that it's best to depict Ali for overcoming his fear of losing by beating George Foreman in Zaire. Standing ovation to Will Smith for his individual performance. If we were to watch the documentary of Muhammed Ali, you would have noticed that Will Smith WAS Ali. The voice, the way he moved were commendable. Having said that, the rest of the crew were in their best form yet. As the movie critic summarised succinctly, a movie that worked if it's watched as it is, but faltered should it tried to explain Ali, the man that he is.

Rating:
Summary: Good Performance By Smith, Story A Little Incomplete
Review: Ali is a decent bio of Mohammad Ali's boxing career. Will Smith certainly elevates the performance of the film. Its amusing to listen to Will imitate Ali as he talks trash before his big fights and to Howard Cossel. Also the actor who portrays Howard Cossel does him good justice.

However, the story is a bit incomplete. The story cuts right to the first Sonny Liston fight with little introduction on Ali's growing up period. Than there is the focus on his dodging the draft and his spiritual role as a Muslim. This is given decent emphasis. Finally some coverage of his fights with Frazier, Quarry, and Foreman. Somehow it would have been nice of the movie included some mention of the second and third fights with Frazier and even Ali past his prime.

Nonetheless, the fight scenes are exciting and even in its limtied focus, the movie is good if not spectacular.