The Greatest of All Times - Ali

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2009)

In this true story about the life of Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali, director Michael Mann does a great job of bringing Ali's personality to life by casting Will Smith for the title role. This movie takes you through the accounts of Ali's life showing you how he became "The Greatest" including his title fight with Sonny Liston (Michael Bentt), his decision to follow the Nation of Islam, personal triumphs and defeats with marriage, being banned from boxing, and the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" against George Foreman (Charles Shufford).
Although the movie did a pretty good job of depicting Ali's life by the use of non linear structure and showing the complexity of human relationships, I felt it would have been a little more interesting if it would have shown more about his connection to Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and the Nation of Islam since he is a devout Muslim.
The movie shows the heart and determination of Ali and his quest for being the greatest boxer of all times by the vigorous workouts and strict training regiments by his trainer/cornerman Drew "Bundini" Brown (Jamie Foxx) with the use of deep focus in a lot of the shots where the two of the had conversations and extreme close up shots of Ali's face during his fights when he was sent to his corner, especially of his eyes.
The intensity of the workouts and the actual fights made you feel like you were right amongst the action, similar to the portrayal of Denzel Washington as Reuben "The Hurricane" Carter in his life story.
It shows his playful humor with his opponents, often calling them names, taunting them about being so ugly and his colleague, Howard Cosell (Jon Voight) whom he shares a close relationship with and always teased about snatching his toupee off of his head and how much prettier he was than Howard.
In his personal life, Ali goes through a series of marriages with Sonji Roi (Jada Pinkett Smith), Belinda Ali (Nona Gaye) and Veronica Porche (Michael Michelle) and being banished from boxing for not participating in the Vietnam War.
Overall, the movie was a pretty decent portrayal of Ali's career and personal life, showing the highs and lows, personal triumphs and ultimate victory of one mans quest to be the "Greatest of All Times" through hard work, being focused, dedication, love, and friendship with some tears, laughter and playful banter.