Hard to determine sometimes, but they did a good job.

Rating: 8/10 (1 December 2005)

Covering Muhammad Ali's life from 1964 to 1974, "Ali" shows not only his athletic ability, but also his personal conflicts. In the title role, Will Smith not only shows that he can play a serious role, but also really gets into character, scoring a well-deserved Oscar nomination (although I'm glad that Denzel Washington won). Director Michael Mann never turns Ali into a God; this is a warts-and-all story, much like "Ray" was last year. Still, one has to wonder whether or not the people behind this movie lacked insight into their subject (sometimes, you do get that feeling). But no matter. This certainly is a movie worth seeing. My favorite part was Ali's denunciation of the Vietnam War.