This movie wasn't the Greatest

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2004)

This movie wasn't the Greatest, but it was good. Of course Muhammad Ali is a very interesting person, so there is a lot of material to work with when writing a script in his life. The biggest problem is deciding what to keep out. Many people (probably non-boxing fans) think there was too many fight scenes and that the movie dragged. It didn't seem that way to me. The pace seemed to be fast enough. You also have to remember that since Ali fought in an era of great heavyweights, he naturally would have a lot of important fights. In fact one criticism of the movie that I do have is that it ended after the George foreman fight and before his 3rd fight with his greatest rival, Joe Frazier. His 3rd fight with Frazier was probably the greatest heavyweight fight of all time. Perhaps more importantly, it was an crucial chapter in a great rivalry and told a lot about each man. In fact there was a book written recently just about this fight. Will Smith did a better job that expected. He has come along way from that "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" crap. The supporting cast, especially Jon Voight as Howard Cosell, was excellent. Ron Silver as trainer Angelo Dundee was good, but didn't get enough camera time. One thing that the movie could have done better was show how Ali had grown, both as a boxer and as a man. In his early 20's he was a fun loving kid. After he joined the Nation of Islam, he gradually became more angry. Then after he left the Nation of Islam he started to be funny again, though in a slightly more mature way than when he was young. It sill puzzles me that many people thought that he was serious when he would go into one of his bragging routines. He was just trying to build up interest in the fight. Fortunately, most people knew he was kidding. As a boxer he changes as well. When he was young, he just his his phenomenal athletic gifts to beat opponents. As he aged and his skills declined, he used his heart and his brain to win. The movie really only touches on these things. Still, over all it was interesting and worth renting. I give it a 7 out of 10.