Underwhelming and sluggish

Rating: 5/10 (27 December 2001)

This is far and away one of the biggest disappointments of 2001. Smith was well cast, but he's in the wrong movie. Mann (who I'm a fan of) had no idea what he was doing, treating this film as if it were "The Insider." None of the relationships on screen displayed any chemistry. This was not a very tight film. Granted a biopic is supposed to show all important events in a person's life, but this was all over the place and lacked consistency. If you want to see a good biopic this year, go see "A Beautiful Mind." All though that film takes liberties, it is far superior to "Ali." The Rumble in the Jungle sequence is inferior to the masterful documentary "When we were Kings." Again, Mann fumbles around for 45 minutes in what is ultimately an exercise in futility. Here's what Ali, himself, is probably thinking while watching this film- 'Pay no mind, Mann's got this film in a bind.' 'If you want to see a good film with me in the ring, go rent When we were Kings.' 'A lot of people consider me a hero, but the number of Oscars "Ali" will win is zero.