A tall order

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2001)

"Ali" left me feeling flat. It seemed as if I had seen the story of a man whom everyone had forgotten, instead of a man that most still remember. Ali, in the film, seemed constantly confused and unsure of himself. I believe Michael Mann wanted to play up this side of Ali since it was the side hidden from public view, but the result was that Ali seemed like less of a legend, and more of a lost soul. Mann spends a good deal of the film (far too much in my opinion), with musical montages showing the bewildered face of Will Smith, to help illustrate Ali's inner angst. These scenes don't help move the story, and made it difficult to tell whether the Ali was thinking, or just dim-witted. The part of Ali was played admirably by Smith, but it was difficult for me to get beyond the fact that I was observing an actor playing the part, instead of the great champion himself. This was either due to Smith's inability to capture Ali completely, Mann's distracting direction, or the fact that Muhammad Ali himself is far too big a personality to accurately portray on film. Likely, a combination of all three things.
I had the opportunity to meet Muhammad Ali briefly a year ago. Despite being hobbled by Parkinson's Disease, there was still something incredibly powerful and majestic about the man. It was a twinkle in his eye, or an aura that was difficult to describe. I don't feel that this was captured in `Ali'. I am too young to have seen Ali in his prime, but I have watched all his great fights (and some of his lesser ones) on video or television. There is a good documentary, `When We Were Kings', that is about the fight where Ali regains the title against Foreman in Zaire. I would recommend that to any who are interested in the real Muhammad Ali.