Stars: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Giancarlo Esposito, Jeffrey Wright, Nona Gaye

Director: Michael Mann

Summary: Michael Mann's ALI manages to be an informative look at the career of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and an entertaining and moving portrait of the man. The action begins with the brash young Cassius Clay's surprising victory over Sonny Liston. The film depicts Clay's conversion to Islam, his partnership with Bundini Brown (Jamie Foxx in a wonderfully complex turn), his friendship with Howard Cosell (a transformed Jon Voight), his principled refusal to serve in the military during Vietnam, and his subsequent problems with the law and the boxing commission. The film concludes with Ali's battle with George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle.<BR>Will Smith delivers a worthy performance, transforming his body, face, and voice to capture the spirit of the charismatic fighter. The work of the supporting cast is superb, including Smith's real-life wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Marvin Gaye's daughter, Nona Gaye, as the women in Ali's life. Mann brings the viewer in close to the boxing action, effectively depicting Ali's unique grace and quickness, and the violent frenzy of the sport. The film shows the familiar public figure of fights and press conferences, and also gives a glimpse of the quiet, thoughtful private life of Ali.

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Ali is a substantial biopic that follows the career of Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali from 1964--when he took the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston--to 1974, when he took it back from George Foreman in Zaire. Along the way, the film looks at Ali's three marriages and his problematic involvement with the Nation of Islam, which inspires him to change his name, get rid of his first wife (Jada Pinkett Smith) and turn his back on old ally Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles).

For a fiercely independent person, Michael Mann's Ali has a knack of alienating those who genuinely love him, while chasing the approval of dubious father figures such as the Reverend Elijah Mohamed, Don King and President Mobutu. Although Ali is not a hagiography--Mann urging Will Smith to get into the many layers of Ali, from the mouthy public face to the quieter private person--the question of whether either of the Liston fights were fixed isn't even raised, and the fall of Ali's career is left out in favour of a climax that draws heavily from the documentary When We Were Kings. Mann is as interested in the politics as he is in the sport (which leaves actors like Ron Silver as the coach short-changed), offering occasional cutaways to the government spies and plants in the black movements. More knockout blows are offered in the speeches than in the ring. --Kim Newman

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	The Making Of, Behind The Scenes, Cast And Crew Soundbites, Trailers
Year:	2001
Release Date:	October 28, 2002
Runtime:	156 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	E D V 9181
Keywords:	Action, Ali, Box, General, Power, Grace, Set, Adventure, Collector's
Genre:	Action/Adventure