Ali

Rating: 5/10 (16 March 2009)

From director Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Collateral), I hoped this would be a good biographical drama with a great star playing one of the world's best known boxers. The film tells the story of Muhammad Ali (Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Will Smith), aka Cassius Clay/Cassius X, who in 1964 won the heavyweight title, creating anew image for African American sportsmen. The film then follows his journey competing in many other fights with self confidence and belief that he is the best boxer in the world, his two marriages, his conversion to the Islam religion, a relationship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles), and concluding with the monumental fight against George Foreman (Charles Shufford). Also starring Jamie Foxx as Drew 'Bundini' Brown, Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Jon Voight as Howard Cosell, Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee, Casino Royale's Jeffrey Wright as Howard Bingham, Mykelti Williamson as Don King, Jada Pinkett Smith (Will's wife) as Sonji, Nona Gaye as Belinda Ali, Michael Michele as Veronica Porche, Terminator 2's Joe Morton as Chauncey Eskridge, Paul Rodriguez as Dr. Ferdie Pacheco; Giancarlo Esposito as Cassius Clay, Sr.; LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King, Jr., Albert Hall as Elijah Muhammad, Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston, James N. Toney as 'Smokin' Joe Frazier, Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad, Ted Levine as Joe Smiley and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Michael Dorn as Black Pilot. While Smith does a very convincing impression of Ali, and a nearly unrecognisable Voight does well too, it doesn't really focus on all events in a lot of detail, apart from the fights, so I agree with the critics that it is a pretty ordinary film. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Original Score for Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke. Will Smith was number 51 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. Worth watching!