A balanced look at the life of an Icon

Rating: Null/10 (23 July 2003)

Well, I gotta tell ya that Ali moves me deeply every time I see it. Will Smith's portrayal is nothing less than brilliant. The fight scenes are so well acted Smith carries himself and boxes just like the champ, he looks like Ali in the ring. I know because I watched every Ali fight from 68' to 78'. And I was not always Ali fan, I found him brash and a braggart but because of his crafted media manipulation he made the world CARE about boxing. Back then everyone knew when an Ali fight was scheduled because we all had our opinion. I am not saying Ali was not a womanizer or a racist, we all have our human weakness but his crafted manipulation made us care every time he stepped in the ring.
When Ali was stripped of the title everyone knew, just like we knew Hurricane Carter was totally innocent that he had been robbed. An enormous injustice had occurred and lesser men would be crushed emotionally and give up. The first time I found myself rooting for Ali was the Rumble in the Jungle and I rooted because I knew he had been robbed and he was the underdog by a long shot. The only person on earth that thought Ali could win was Ali himself. I sat there watching the fight just sick, Ali had obviously lost his heart as Forman pummeled him mercilessly. Then in the course of 5 seconds the entire fight changed, Forman fell so fast I didn't even see what happened. Ali the movie is deep and poetic, romantic and touching, it shows Ali in a true light without all the hype and glory associated with The Greatest. Will Smith is brilliant and anyone that doesn't cry at the jogging scene or at the end of the movie when Forman falls like the mighty oak needs to get in touch with their feelings. Will Smith is brilliant, he is much more than a rap star and humor actor, he is an excellent actor and he must have worked very hard to perfect the performance he delivers in Ali. It's a quarter of a century later and I am convinced that Ali was the best boxer ever, one of a kind, a national treasure. Smith's performance is a treasure too and the composition, background, lighting, screenplay, supporting actors, are all superb. If you are looking for a documentary you are looking in the wrong place. If you want a story to touch your heart and make you admire a man and the art and craft of filmmaking then you will be pleased.