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First off, I don’t see why this bio pic
was even made. The prime of Muhammad Ali’s life was not that long ago
and there is plenty of actual video of the man. There is nothing in his
story that needs to be overly dramatized. In short, this man’s story
would be better off served as a true biography and has been, in the
fabulous 1997 documentary, 'When We Were Kings'. I would recommend that
film above this one emphatically.
With that off my chest I will attempt to look at this film on its own
merit.
I have to say, the opening fight scene had me hooked with all of its
careful stylization. In fact, the entire movie’s jittery camera style
reminded me of another Michael Mann film, 'The Insider', which I loved.
The problem is, this arty feel tended to slow the film down, focusing
only on select emotional moments. But hey, it sure was cool.
While the important elements of Ali’s life were found in this movie, I
also found many instances of confusion where a pointless scene would pop
up and begged the question, "What was that about?". My only
guess can be that a lot of film hit the editing room floor since much of
what was shown in the trailers, failed to make the final cut. Or
perhaps, I’m just dumb. All the humor in this film came from the mouth
of Ali, which provided plenty of chuckles. And looking at the
performances, Will Smith and Jon Voight both had me convinced in their
respective roles. The other supporting parts were carried out pretty
successfully given that they were played by familiar faces not known for
their dramatic abilities.
All in all, I enjoyed the film while I viewed it, but found that after
the film’s 3 hours I only had a narrow view of Ali’s history. While
Mann may have intentionally focused more on the man, and not his life,
it still left me wanting.
 
- 7/10
Phil Wong - Contributor
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