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In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African American's in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonmen...
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t of his slave name in favour of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time.
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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 ...
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in the "Rumble in the Jungle."
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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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 th...
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us 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.
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De film volgt het leven van de bokslegende Muhammad Ali. Geboren als Cassius Clay was Ali zowel binnen als buiten de boksring een fenomeen die de sportwereld in de jaren '60 op zijn kop zette. Uiteindelijk besloot hij zijn "slavennaam" te wijzigen in Muhammad Ali, en groeide hij uit tot een kampioen, een leider en een mediaster.