Not even Will Smith could really capture The Champ, but he tried

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2004)

Could be spoilers for those not familiar with Ali's life or certain historical events.
When I first heard Will Smith was being considered for the role of the greatest boxer ever, I thought it was a big mistake. He doesn't even look like Ali. I have liked Smith as an actor ever since I first saw him on 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air', and even then it was obvious he had potential. Who knew he had THIS much ability?
Still, I had trouble seeing Ali on screen, because even the attempts to make Smith look like The Champ didn't really work. I still saw Will Smith. Most of the time I heard Will Smith. But there were times when he sounded just like Ali, where Ali had obviously done the humorous, charming smart-aleck routine on TV, giving Smith a chance to see exactly what to do. And humorous, charming and smart-aleck are exactly what Will Smith does best. Overall, I thought Smith did as well as he could possibly do in the role. Only Ali could have played Ali, but he can't do it now.

I thought the movie effectively captured 11 years in the life of Cassius Clay, including the name change to Muhammad Ali. I especially liked Ali's attitude toward those who continued to use his 'slave name'. And the scenes involving his religious conversion and disputes with Malcolm X proved interesting, though I never really understood what was going on. The scenes involving Ali's attempts to avoid military service were also well done. I'm no boxing fan, so I didn't care that much for the boxing itself, but Ali was always my favorite boxer. And the boxing certainly looked realistic and even painful.
Jon Voight did a great job as Howard Cosell. He and Ali together were wonderful. And I even saw a new insight into their private relationship (something similar happened with Joe Frazier). Jamie Foxx had his good moments as Bundini, and Mario Van Peebles did Malcolm X as well as I've ever since him done. Of course, I still have yet to see Denzel Washington in the role.
If there was one weakness other than the fact no one could truly capture Ali, it was the absence of Martin Luther King. I saw LeVar Burton's name in the credits, and in an amazing coincidence, one of the witnesses to King's shooting was on the phone to someone in the movie at the time! But I can't recall seeing King alive.
This was a movie worth seeing.