naturally , at the core of leon gast 's " when we were kings " is the fight itself , for what a fight it was .
thanks to the business savvy of don king , an ageing muhammad ali was pitted against the formidable hulk of heavyweight champion george foreman .
fans were treated to an 8 round battle of endurance and strategy , as much as brute strength , that immediately entered boxing lore .
with the benefit of the first - hand recollections of that old ex - pug norman mailer , this classic conflict is brought back to life .
but " when we were kings " tackles issues that are harder to pin down than the simple facts of a boxing match .
questions of political power and social justice appear throughout this documentary .
gast could hardly choose otherwise , considering the vocal , uncompromising politics of muhammad ali .
a member of the controversial black separatist movement the nation of islam , ali opens gast 's film with a forceful swipe at the united states .
when ali hollers " damn america ' , the audience knows the imprecation is heartfelt ; the brutal yet casual way it is uttered leaves no doubt that ali is speaking his mind .
his decision to buck the draft for vietnam is defended with the same admirable fury : " no viet cong ever called me nigger " , ali reasons .
despite showcasing ali 's proud unequivocal politics , one of the most impressive features of " when we were kings " is the subtle way in which the documentary considers the difficulties inherent in the overarching philosophy of black unity and black symbolism that ali and his supporters champion .
listening to the film 's numerous commentators , it is clear that the geographic location for this " rumble in the jungle " is etched more in the imagination than anywhere you could place on a map .
spike lee tells us that the event was a pilgrimage , a " coming home " to africa .
foreman reminds us that africa is the " cradle of civilisation " .
fair enough , but this homeland is a specific nation cursed with a less than inspiring reality .
it is the newly founded zaire and it is ruled by president mobutu , a brutal dictator .
while ali respects mobutu 's ability to forge an independent african state , mailer notes that beneath the stadium in which the titans battled lay hidden the presidents well - stocked torture chambers .
mailer 's insights are lost on most of the film 's commentators .
george plimpton recalls that he always felt he was in the congo , rather than the newly christened zaire .
with admirable restraint , gast quietly suggests that for many the grandeur of myth and history all but obscured the reality of zaire ' s squalid ruling elite .
mobutu is not the only dubious character to benefit from the heady symbolism of black power .
don king , resplendent in yellow kaftan and at ease with the " messiah " label attributed to him by a loyal disciple , passes himself off as the voice of a new black international solidarity .
understandably , foreman believes he has gotten a raw deal .
he may be , as one sympathiser notes , " blacker " than ali , but he is denied the iconic status shared by ali , the thuggish mobutu , and the tacky huckster don king .
africa , zaire , inspirational leader or vicious dictator , all is left undifferentiated , unconsidered , in this optimistic celebration of black unity .
little wonder that the people of zaire were shocked to find that ali 's opponent was n't white .
admittedly , these issues are only hinted at , rather than substantially explored .
the audience must consider the significance of these issues themselves , in their own time .
there is just too much to cover , too much that is truly worthy of celebration , for a protracted political analysis to be justified .
the excitement of james brown and b .
b king in concert , for instance .
and of course there 's always ali to consider , as he shamelessly , and hilariously , hams it up in front of the camera , shadow boxing and uttering one inspired rhyme after another - " we gon na get it on coz
we do n't get along ! " .
doubtlessly , considering the multi - faceted nature of the extravaganza they chose to cover , the makers of " when we were kings " faced numerous difficulties in deciding what issues , and what personalities , best deserved their attention .
fortunately , by refusing to simplify their complex subject matter , they have captured the richness and excitement of this unique event .
shamelessly , and hilariously have captured the richness and excitement of this unique event fortunately