Main Cast: Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 158 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Notoriously obsessive director Michael Mann and star Will Smith devoted nearly two years and over 100 million dollars from the coffers of Columbia Pictures and other financiers to creating this biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali, which focuses on the ten-year period of 1964-1974. In that time, the brash, motor-mouthed athlete quickly dominates his sport, meets and marries his first wife (Jada Pinkett-Smith), converts to Islam (changing his name from Cassius Clay), and defies the United States government by refusing to submit to military conscription for duty in Vietnam. His world heavyweight champion title thus stripped from him entirely for political reasons, the champ sets about to win back his crown, culminating in a legendary unification bout against George Foreman (Charles Shufford) in Zaire, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle." In his travels, Ali becomes a symbol of power to disenfranchised African-Americans everywhere and meets such luminaries as Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles), Martin Luther King Jr. (LeVar Burton) and Maya Angelou (Martha Edgerton). Ali features an all-star supporting cast that includes Jon Voight, Giancarlo Esposito, Jamie Foxx, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton, Paul Rodriguez, Ron Silver, Mykelti Williamson, and Jeffrey Wright. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
Always a technician at the top of his craft, Michael Mann proves it again with his visually alive take on the boxing life of Muhammad Ali, starring Will Smith in the role naysayers doubted he could play, and featuring all manner of virtuoso work inside the ring. While both director and star were generally praised, the film itself failed to appear on year-end ten-best lists, due to what might be described as an impenetrable emotional distance from its subject. Even with Smith silencing his critics through an effective combination of impersonation and nuance, his Ali is an unexplored curiosity, seen mostly through a handful of his most famous fights. Still, the visual achievements, including the precise performances, are undeniable. Mann's handheld camera and off-center compositions again give that palpable p.o.v sense of a life spied upon, teleporting viewers into the detailed world he creates. Mann is king of setting the scene without expository overkill, letting the soundtrack or a telling image speak louder than the dialogue. This approach is particularly noteworthy with the character of Angelo Dundee (Ron Silver), Ali's trainer, a key recurring figure whom the ever-judicious Mann blends into the narrative without having to rely on a big speech or other device to distinguish him. Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, and Jon Voight are also terrific in supporting roles, particularly Voight's scene-stealer as the appropriately plastic-looking Howard Cosell. Ali may float like the most technically accomplished butterfly out there, but because it fails to sting like a bee, thematically, it can't keep pace with Mann's best work. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Jeffrey Wright - Howard Bingham; Mykelti Williamson - Don King; Nona Gaye - Belinda; Michael Michele - Veronica; Joe Morton - Chancy Eskridge; Paul Rodriguez - Dr. Ferdie Pacheco; Bruce McGill - Bradley; Barry "Shabaka" Henley - Herbert Muhammad; Giancarlo Esposito - Cassius Clay Sr.; Lawrence Mason - Luis Sarria; LeVar Burton - Martin Luther King Jr.; Albert Hall - Elijah Muhammad; David Cubitt - Robert Lipsyte; Ted Levine - Joe Smiley; Candy Ann Brown - Odessa; David Elliott - Sam Cooke; Shari Watson - Woman Singer; Malick Bowens - Joseph Mobutu; Michael Bentt - Sonny Liston; James N. Toney - Joe Frazier; Alfred Cole - Ernie Terrell; Charles Shufford - George Foreman; Victoria Dillard - Betty Shabazz; Brad Greenquist - Marlin Thomas; David Haines - Rudy Clay/Rahaman Ali; Doug Hale - Judge Ingraham; Jada Pinkett Smith - Sonji; Kim Robillard - Jimmy Cannon; Gailard Sartain - Gordon Davidson; William Utay - The Doctor; David Hess; James Gilbert - Sparring Partner in Africa; John Ortiz - Madison Square Garden reporter; Maestro Harrell - Young Cassius Clay; Wade Andrew Williams - Lieutenant Jerome Claridge; Millard Arnold - Doc Broadus; Jean Bikoi - Additional Aide to Mobutu; Edda Collier - Blond French reporter; Vincent Cook - Jimmy Ellis; Lee Cummings - Hunter Thompson; Rufus Dorsey - Floyd Patterson; Themba Gasa - Idi Amin; Marc Grapey - Bob Arum; Andrew P. Jones - Don Kings Aide; Cimanga Kalambay - Additional Aide to Mobutu; Nathaniel Malekane - Archie Moore; Marc Kulazite Mboli - Additional Aide to Mobutu; Henrikennyo Mukenyi - Bula; Mark Mulder - Reporter; Zaa Nkweta - Foreman Fight Announcer; David Prudham - Madison Square Garden announcer; Robert Sale - Jerry Quarry; LaDonna Tittle - Bundini's landlady; Maya Van Peebles - Malcolm X's daughter; Morgana Van Peebles - Malcolm X's daughter; Guy Van Swearingen - Induction FBI man; Damien "Bolo" Wills - Ken Norton; Wei Yi Lu - Chinese Delegate; Brandon T. Jackson
Credit
Bill Rea - Art Director, Jonathan Lee - Art Director, Tomas Voth - Art Director, Christopher Bass - Art Director, Ebow Prah - Art Director, Audrey Soodoo-Raphael - Art Director, Jon Townley - Art Director, Oliver Moore - Animator, Gusmano Cesaretti - Associate Producer, Kathleen M. Shea - Associate Producer, Victoria Thomas - Casting, David Dontoh - Casting, Alison E. McBryde - Casting, John D. Schofield - Co-producer, Michael Waxman - Co-producer, Marlene Stewart - Costume Designer, Kim Du Plessis - Costume Designer, Dihantus Engelbrecht - Costume Designer, Cathy Kukard - Costume Designer, Reza Levy - Costume Designer, Gina Panno - Costume Designer, Carolyn Schnitzer - Costume Designer, Darkowaa Tsibu - Costume Designer, Michael Waxman - First Assistant Director, Michael Mann - Director, Lynzee Klingman - Editor, Stephen E. Rivkin - Editor, William C. Goldenberg - Editor, Graham King - Executive Producer, Howard Bingham - Executive Producer, Romaine Greene - Hair Styles, Mary E. Buono - Hair Styles, Caroline Clements-Jewery - Hair Styles, Annette Keet - Hair Styles, Maria Chavez - Location Manager, Demetra Diamantopoulos - Location Manager, Janice Polley - Location Manager, Lisa Gerrard - Composer (Music Score), Pieter Bourke - Composer (Music Score), Beverly House - Makeup, Catania McCoy-Howze - Makeup, Greg Cannom - Makeup Special Effects, Captive Audience Prods. - Makeup Special Effects, John Myhre - Production Designer, Emmanuel Lubezki - Cinematographer, Lee Caplin - Producer, A. Kitman Ho - Producer, Michael Mann - Producer, Jon Peters - Producer, James Lassiter - Producer, Paul Ardaji - Producer, Lynn Christopher - Set Designer, Jim Erickson - Set Designer, Jonathan Hely-Hutchinson - Set Designer, Marcos Alvarez - Set Designer, Paulo Mondlane - Set Designer, Nicholas Scott - Set Designer, Nadia Sultanegy - Set Designer, Jim Kent - Set Designer, Richard Sprawson - Sound Mixer, Lee Orloff - Sound/Sound Designer, Sound Dogs - Sound/Sound Designer, Roy Anderson - Stunts, Richard Lexsee - Stunts, Kevin Morrow - Stunts, Larry Tankson - Stunts, Joel Kramer - Stunts Coordinator, Kevin de la Noy - Unit Production Manager, Christopher Wheeldon - Unit Production Manager, Gregory Allen Howard - Screen Story, Michael Mann - Screenwriter, Eric Roth - Screenwriter, Christopher Wilkinson - Screenwriter, Stephen J. Rivele - Screenwriter, James Lay - Sound Effects Editor, Stuart Waks - Additional Editing, James Peterson - CGI Effects, Bryan H. Carroll - Associate Editor, Gordon Adams - Grip, Gilles Boisacq - Grip, Joe Mnisi - Grip, Laurence Nepfumbada - Grip, Collen Rampedi - Grip, Nick Rankin - Grip, Francis Annan - Key Grip, Thomas Lewis - Key Grip, David Merrill - Key Grip, Guy Micheletti - Key Grip, Michael Tinger - Post Production Supervisor, Mitchell Bell - Production Coordinator, Mary Kim - Production Supervisor, Thomas Hayslip - Production Supervisor, Charles Stewart - Properties Master, Margaret Prentice - Prosthetic Makeup Effects, Julie Herrin - Second Assistant Director, Craig Henighan - Sound Effects Director, Brian Risner - Sound Effects Director, Dave Watkins - Special Effects Coordinator, Gregory King - Supervising Sound Editor, Leslie Oliver - Visual Effects Producer, Gina Marie Ome - Costume/Wardrobe, David W. Krummel - Assistant Art Director, Nicklas A. Farrantello - Assistant Art Director, Michael Youp - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Mark Mamalakis - Assistant Location Manager, Julie Hannum - Assistant Location Manager, Chanel Salzer-Chadock - Assistant Location Manager, Kitty Terry - Assistant Location Manager, Beverly Visitacion - Assistant Location Manager, Susan M. Ehrhart - Assistant Production Coordinator, Christopher Emerson - Assistant Sound Editor, Shaughnessy Hare - Assistant Sound Editor, Jeffrey Cook - Best Boy Electric, Robert "Bobby" Fischer - Best Boy Grip, Bill Summers - Best Boy Grip, Mary A. Brady - Buyer, Alishja A. Ballard - Buyer, Abraham Martinez - Camera Loader, Karyn Lyman - Casting Assistant, John Friday - Chief Lighting Technician, Nana George Owusu Asare - Chief Lighting Technician, John Buckley - Chief Lighting Technician, John McKay - Chief Lighting Technician, Michael Diersing - Construction Coordinator, Michael Haight - Dialogue Editor, Dan Yale - Dialogue Editor, Karen Spangenberg - Dialogue Editor, Mark Yardas - Dialogue Editor, Bill Wynn - Dolly Grip, Caulo Amade - Electrician, Ben Beukes - Electrician, Patrick Botha - Electrician, Steven Brooks - Electrician, Edgar Chissico - Electrician, Mannie Chonka - Electrician, Russell Delport - Electrician, Dudley Fillies - Electrician, Kenneth Fisher - Electrician, Andre Kemp - Electrician, Pepsi Mahanisi - Electrician, Jose Mahumane - Electrician, Willie Makuvela - Electrician, Joe Matlou - Electrician, Andries Ngaleka - Electrician, Brenton Nortjie - Electrician, Joseph Themba - Electrician, Gareth Viner - Electrician, Bernie de Wet - Electrician, Andy Malcolm - Foley Artist, Goro Koyama - Foley Artist, Sam Crutcher - Foley Editor, Scot Tinsley - Foley Editor, Stephen Durante - Leadman, Anne Ford - Production Accountant, Anne Johns - Production Controller, Kenneth Gallagher - Second Assistant Accountant, Eric J. Luling - Set Dresser
The movie was written by Gregory Allen Howard, Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Eric Roth and Michael Mann. The original script by Howard and Rivele was significantly modified by Roth and Mann. Howard was originally commissioned to write an Ali script by producer Jon Peters in 1994, but it was never produced.
Will Smith spent approximately one year learning all aspects of Ali's life. These included boxing training, Islamic studies and dialect training (to help him speak like Ali). Smith has said that his portrayal of Ali is his proudest work to date.
One of the selling points of the film is the realism of the fight scenes. Smith worked alongside boxing promoter Guy Sharpe from SharpeShooter Entertainment and his lead fighter Ross Kent to get the majority of his boxing tips for the film. All of the boxers in the film are in fact former or current world heavyweight champions. It was quickly decided that 'Hollywood fighting'—passing the fist (or foot) between the camera and the face to create the illusion of a hit—would not be used in favor of actual boxing. The only limitation placed upon the fighters was for Charles Shufford (who plays George Foreman). He was permitted to hit Will Smith as hard as he could, so long as he did not actually knock the actor out.
Smith had to gain a significant amount of weight to look the part of Muhammad Ali.
Ali opened on December 25, 2001 and grossed a total of $14.7 million in 2,446 theaters on its opening weekend. The film went on to gross a total of $87.7 million worldwide. The film holds a 68% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
The film had generally favorable reviews with the acting being well received by critics in general. Roger Ebert derided the film with two stars in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, and mentioned, "it lacks much of the flash, fire and humor of Muhammad Ali and is shot more in the tone of a eulogy than a celebration".[1] In Variety magazine, Todd McCarthy wrote, "The director's visual and aural dapplings are strikingly effective at their best, but over the long haul don't represent a satisfactory alternative to in-depth dramatic scenes; one longs, for example, for even one sequence in which Ali and Dundee discuss boxing strategy or assess an opponent", but did have praise for the performances: "The cast is outstanding, from Smith, who carries the picture with consummate skill, and Voight, who is unrecognizable under all the makeup but nails Cosell's distinctive vocal cadences".[2]USA Today gave the film two and half stars out of four and claimed that, "for many Ali fans, the movie may be good enough, but some perspective is in order. The documentaries A.K.A. Cassius Clay and the Oscar-winning When We Were Kings cover a lot of the same ground and are consistently more engaging".[3]
In the New York Times, Elvis Mitchell proclaimed Ali to be a "breakthrough" film for Mann, that it was his "first movie with feeling" and that "his overwhelming love of its subject will turn audiences into exuberant, thrilled fight crowds".[4]J. Hoberman, in his review for the Village Voice, felt that the "first half percolates wonderfully — and the first half hour is even better than that. Mann opens with a thrilling montage that, spinning in and out of a nightclub performance by Sam Cooke, contextualizes the hero in his times", concluded that, "Ali's astonishing personality is skillfully evoked but, in the end, remains a mystery".[5]
After the theatrical version (157 min.) was released on DVD, Mann revisited his film again with a new cut (165 min.). He took out approximately 20 minutes of footage and put 30 minutes of previously unseen footage back in. The director claimed that the politics of the times are more the focus.
