A great job by Mann and Smith

Rating: Null/10 (8 August 2002)

Muhammad Ali himself had done a decent job reconstructing his carreer in 1977's The Greatest, yet a big Hollywood biopic was always on the cards and deservedly so. Fortunately, Michael Mann was the right man for the job and has turned an inspiring, remarkable and thrilling story into an exciting, electrifying and entertaining film in sleek, reserved style. Will Smith is the perfect choice to portray the great man and although the real Ali lingers in the mind throughout the film, Smith's performance is nevertheless winning and eye-catching.
The film span's Ali's career from his 1964 defeat of Sonny Liston (a great opening sequence) to his victory over George Foreman in the Rumble In The Jungle (a great climatic sequence). In between, there's the brush over the Vietnam War and Ali's relationships with TV presenter Howard Corsell (Jon Voight) and boxing rival Joe Fraizer. Oh, and the women. A great job by Mann and Smith.