A good, but not totally satisfying film.

Rating: 7/10 (27 December 2001)

"Ali" is a powerful docudrama, with some major flaws. Though the performances are uniformly excellent (particularly Will Smith in the title role), the film does not have a third act. It simply ends, not bothering to tie up the many plot strands it presents. Additionally, there is a lot of material that feels impertinent to the film, not the least of which is the extra-marital affair Ali engages in during the "Rumble in the Jungle" sequence. I actually feel that "When We Were Kings," the documentary about Ali, was a more successful piece because it was limited to the coverage of the "Rumble in the Jungle." "Ali" feels at times that its reach exceeds its grasp, and at others like it doesn't even try to reach very far. Frustrating, because there are so many good moments in the film and yet they fail to add up to anything remotely as powerful as the impact that Muhammad Ali has had and continues to have on our world.