The Greatest.

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2002)

Director Michael Mann and star Will Smith don't just show us Ali, they take us along with him. They take us through the most turbulent years of Ali's life. A lot of people will still see the man as a showboating draft dodger. But he was and is more than can be defined in any single sentence. The man is flawed like all human beings are. And agree with him or disagree, love him or hate him, you have to respect the fact that he stood by his principles even when the United States government tried to change him. From the opening sequence Michael Mann proves he is the right director for this movie, and Will Smith proves he is the right man to play the champ. If the Academy doesn't recognize both Jon Voight (playing Ali's friend, yes friend, Howard Cosell) and Jamie Foxx, with Smith and Mann, then there is no justice and Oscars are a fraud. Also Giancarlo Esposito, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Mario Van Peebles are in top form. 10 of 10.