Ali's story better told on the tube

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2001)

First the good stuff. Will Smith approaches Oscar caliber acting in his often excellent portrayal of Muhammad Ali . It's a cliché to say that he `becomes' the character, but by the middle of Michael Mann 's 2:47 minute epic, the transformation is nearly complete.
That's the highlight of this overlong film, that chronicles a brief segment of the life of one of the greatest sports figures of our time. "Ali" begins with the fighter's destruction of heavyweight champ, Sonny Liston, in 1964. It follows his journey through two wives, his conversion to Islam, his refusal to be inducted into the armed forces during the Viet Nam era and ends with his reclamation of the heavyweight title in the historic "Rumble in the Jungle" held in Zaire. Along the way get brief, unsatisfying introductions to the figures who float in and out of Ali's orbit
There are a few nuggets, Mario Van Peebles' nuanced Malcolm X, Mykelti Williamson's Don King, and Nona M. Gaye as Ali's caring second wife, but Mann does little to develop the surrounding characters. Jon Voight under ten pounds of make-up provides a Saturday Night Live Howard Cosell impression, And left in the shadows is a gold mine of talent. Ron Silver, Paul Rodriguez, LeVar Burton, provide little more than cameos.
Stylistically, Mann holds on to many scenes much longer than necessary, giving them a music video quality that left me wishing for a faster pace. His camera work, much of it hand-held tries to give you a view of the world through Ali's eyes, but often ends up making you dizzy.
Ali was a project with great potential. The man himself was a star burning brightly at the center of the swirling cultural vortex of the second half of the 20th century. A personality who variously inspired, infuriated and electrified those who's lives he touched.
It should have made a great movie. But if you want to understand the life and times of "The Greatest", eschew Ali, the film, for better biographical portraits on A&E or ESPN Classic.