Ali-is it about Ali?

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2014)

In this film there is definitely an emphasis on the civil rights movements occurring in both the United States as well in the other countries he visits. In fact the movie doesn't focus on his boxing career, but rather the way he stood as a symbol of resistance to lack oppression. As a character he is actually portrayed as arrogant, irresponsible and rash. Furthermore throughout the movie there is not much character growth. And contrary to this depiction of Ali in his personal life and manner of speaking, the public has taken him in as a symbol of hope. When he refuses to join the army for "people who wont even defend me here, in America," riots erupt. And when he visits Jamaica, it becomes apparent how his success in the boxing career has had an influence in the village population. They see him as someone who is standing up to their rights by consistently talking up his rights on national TV before and after his fights. In reality, other than talking up a big talk, he doesn't act in any way to bring rights to the general black people. In a way his actions can even be interpreted as counterproductive for the civil rights movement: his rude behavior in interviews and ruffling with the police and multiple marriages represents negative attributes that could be misconstrued to reflect the attributes of the African American population.