Grade:  C

Director:  Michael Mann		Released:  December 2001
Writer:  Gregory Allen Howard, Stephen J. Rivele		MPAA Rating:  R
Players:  Will Smith, Jon Voight, Jamie Foxx		Running time:  159 minutes

Ratings System

For the first 45 minutes of Ali, I couldn't tell if it was a film about Muhammed Ali or Malcolm X.  Maybe that won't bother you, but it bothered me.  I wanted to learn something about Ali that I didn't already know.  Unfortunately, this movie covers the ground that I'm already familiar with.  So, I was quite disappointed with Ali.  I was hoping for a great film detailing the life of a great American icon.

I like the way the fight scenes were shot, giving the viewer a kind of first-person perspective.  And I liked the scenes with Ali and Howard Cosell, the interaction was lively and caring, and the actors (Will Smith, Jon Voight) seemed to have a chemistry.  Speaking of the acting, I thought Will Smith was excellent.  I don't know that he became Ali -- as some folks are claiming -- but I sure enjoyed his performance, and he looked the part as much as anybody could.  I also liked Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee, he was only a supporting character, but Silver really seemed to play it just right, and it stuck out in my mind.  On the other hand, I didn't care for Jamie Foxx in his role at all, I think he was horribly miscast.

It's too bad Ali is just average.  There was a lot of talent involved, but ultimately the film has no clear direction, and doesn't make any noise.

- crocoPuffs