Ali is an interesting failure.

Rating: 3/10 (5 January 2002)

Ali is an interesting failure. A movie about an important historical figure such as Ali could have benefited from a straightforward, energetic approach. However, Mann's more artistic approach might have succeeded had the artistic elements complimented the subject matter. Michael Mann does not effectively create a biographical account, nor does he emphasize the action scenes. Instead, he chooses to make it a self-consciously artistic film. The narrative facts are obscured by the filmmaking which destroys the cohesion of the plot. The only consistent element left to cling to is Mann's characteristic slow pacing. Some of the artistic sequences are quite interesting, taken out of context. However, these lengthy sequences end up taking the place of narrative information that is so important that it hardly seems an appropriate sacrifice. Furthermore, by allowing the pacing of the movie to become so exposed, one cannot help but feel it drag on. One direct criticism I have is that the music was poorly chosen. The movie starts off in a good place with Sam Cooke, but many sequences feature background electronic music (it sounds very modern). If the film had stuck to a period soundtrack, the artistic elements would have tied in with the plot effectively. All of this aside, Will Smith gave an incredible performance as Ali, perhaps the best of his career. It's a shame that Mann did not make a movie to match the honesty of Smith's performance.