Ali

Viewed in
2013

Formats
HDTV

Premise
Will Smith stars Muhammad Ali in this biography, directed by Michael Mann.

Loved
Jon Voight.

Liked
Exciting boxing scenes.

Disliked
Subpar story-telling, playing it safe.

Thoughts
It's got its moments.

The movie rides or dies with Smith's performance. Unfortunately, it was uneven. At times he was brilliant, grabbing the screen by sheer personality, like his rant after being sentenced for draft-dodging. But other times just felt like Smith doing an impression of Ali. This might've been the case where a lesser known actor would've been better served.

Flanking Smith was a deep cast with solid performances, like Mario Van Peebles, Jamie Foxx, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jada Pinkett Smith. But the scene-stealer was Voight as Howard Cosell. His best supporting nod was well-deserved with his phenomenal performance, full of bite and charm.

The boxing scenes were incredible. Energetic choreography, underrated sound, well-planned cinematography and crisp editing showed clearly how each fight was won/lost. I'm not a boxing fan, but it gave me an appreciation for the sport from that era.

However, I was frustrated by the long, unfocused narrative. While I never knew that Ali interacted with Malcolm X, the fascinating subplot sadly didn't contribute to the film, nor say anything interesting about Ali as a whole. Meanwhile, Ali waited seven years to get his shot at redemption, but as a movie experience I never felt that gauntlet of time. This caused the "Thrilla in Manilla" to pop up suddenly, without buildup, without feeling like a climax, when it was the film maker's intentions.

It was up to Mann to decide on how much hero-worship to do in a biography, but it usually leads to uninteresting subjects. There were some potential themes, such as how well-paid athletes easily go broke, or how Ali's changed tactic to attrition led to the dicey subject of head trauma. But the story never went deep enough to express anything substantial. Pretty much the only weakness they gave him was womanizing, a very stock vice.

As much as I enjoyed Voight's performance and the immersive boxing fights, Ali came off as wandering biography. Reenacting some of Ali's biggest moments (and trying to get Will Smith an Oscar), but ultimately had nothing to say.