Release Date: December 25, 2001
Starring: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mykelti Williamson
Directed by: Michael Mann
Written by: Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Eric Roth, Michael Mann
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R (some language, brief violence)
Muhammad Ali lit up the sports world in the 1960's and 70's with a combination of profound boxing talent and flamboyant personality. In his prime, he was said to be all four Beatles wrapped up into one, and the controversies that surrounded his life and career were perfect material for a feature film -- it was only a matter of time before it became a reality. It's no surprise, though, that director Michael Mann (The Insider, Heat) got the job. Just like it's no surprise his biopic, Ali, is exactly like everything he's done in the past -- well acted and well edited, but hardly as engaging as it should be.
The opening to Ali, however, draws the viewer in immediately. Shots of up-and-coming pro boxer Cassius Clay (Will Smith) working through an intense training regimen are intercut with flashbacks of him and his family suffering through the segregated America of the middle of the twentieth century. It is an appropriate beginning, as it shows exactly what Clay went through and what shaped him to become the man we all know. The ensuing boxing match properly introduces the supporting characters as well as Clay's passion and skill for the sport. The rest of the film tells his life story, including his devout religious beliefs and how his name changed to Muhammad Ali, his many romantic relationships, and how he was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam draft.
Michael Mann's knack for real-life film portrayals and crafty editing should have suited this type of film very well, but the way it left the audience in the dark as to where and when things were taking place made it very difficult for the viewer to become involved in the story. It's as if Mann became such an expert on the Muhammad Ali story that he assumed everyone else knew it as well as he did. Real-life individuals like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. are seen throughout, but only a well-informed viewer would know who they are without waiting for their names to be spoken. It's also frustrating to distinguish one scene from the other while trying to figure out exactly when the events are happening. That's no way to tell the story of a legend, especially when you have to consider those who are less familiar with the life the movie is based on.
Looking past that, Mann's love for clever editing and music is still apparent as many scenes feel like dramatic music videos. These are the film's stronger points, because they come across as a more fitting homage to Ali, and the climactic match against George Foreman in Zaire in 1974 does this the best. Throughout the movie, the director's close-ups and fast cuts are quite noticeable, and it's fairly obvious (especially when comparing it to The Insider) that he has developed a distinct style for biographical films. And though it's by no means a bad style, it wasn't good enough to make the movie live up to the true legend of a man that was Ali.
Also obvious is Mann's ability to help the actors transform themselves into the real life characters, and this was a very fortunate thing for Ali. As with The Insider, in which Mann helped Russell Crowe completely alter himself to portray the older, stockier corporate analyst Jeffrey Wigand, he focuses Will Smith's transformation into Muhammad Ali in just as astonishing and as captivating a manner (it's perhaps more amazing because of Smith's background as a comedic actor). Comparable to Christopher Plummer's dead-on portrayal of Mike Wallace in The Insider is Jon Voight's role as sports broadcaster Howard Cosell. The makeup and overall performance by Voight makes you look twice before realizing it's not the real Cosell.
Unfortunately, Michael Mann focuses too hard on crafting how we see the film, not how the story unfolds. Ali is not a motion picture to go unnoticed because of the excellent talent within, but any hope it had of becoming a classic or truly living up to Muhammad Ali's legacy is lost in film's storytelling.
all contents © 2001 Andy Zientek