IMDb > Ali (2001)
Ali
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Ali (2001) -- A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring.
Ali (2001) -- A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring.
Ali (2001) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
Ali (2001) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Ali (2001) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   28,767 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Michael Mann
Writers (WGA):
Gregory Allen Howard (story)
Stephen J. Rivele (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Ali on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 2001 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama | Sport more
Tagline:
Forget What You Think You Know more
Plot:
A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 22 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(51 articles)
Report: Marley Chewed Up B.O. Record
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 26 December 2008, 1:33 AM, PST)

Smith Recuperating After Shoulder Strain
 (From WENN. 6 March 2007)

User Comments:
solid but flawed more (357 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Ali (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Ali (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Али (Russia) [ru]
Ali (Serbia) [sr]
Ali (Finland) [fi]
Ali (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ali (Spain) [es]
Ali (Greece) [el]
Muhammad Ali (Argentina) [es]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for some language and brief violence. (also director's cut)
Runtime:
157 min | USA:165 min (director's cut)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Finland:K-11 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (re-rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Manitoba) (director's cut) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) (original rating) | Brazil:12 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #37745) | Iceland:12
Filming Locations:
Accra, Ghana more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
As the project lay in "development hell" for more than a decade, several directors attempted to make the film until Michael Mann was finally chosen. The list included: Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, and Norman Jewison. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the fight with Sonny Liston, the ring had three ropes not four as depicted in the film. Boxing rings didn't have four ropes until the mid-1970s. more
Quotes:
Sonji: Are you a virgin?
Muhammad Ali: What do you mean "Am I a virgin"?
more
Movie Connections:
References Fight of the Century (1971) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
A Change Is Gonna Come more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
26 out of 42 people found the following comment useful.
solid but flawed, 30 June 2003
Author: bluetunehead from chicago

Ali is a film that both succeeds and fails at the same time. Will Smith's performance was very solid, yet I never was able to shake the feeling that on screen it was Will Smith playing Muhammad Ali and not simply Muhammad Ali. Perhaps that is through no fault of his. He truly does a great impression of the fighter. The script is again decent, centering on several facets of the star's life that go beyond the sports pages. However, overall the whole project has a rather distant feel. The viewer rarely is truly captivated by what is occurring. Michael Mann's characteristic documentary-esque filming style works well in parts, but services to alienate the viewer in others. Yes, it feels as though you are almost watching a documentary in many cases, as if the viewer is a bystander to the circumstances at hand, but this is a work of drama, not a documentary. I wish someone had told Mann to stop shaking the camera and shifting to view Ali between the standard stock of blurred reporters for a few seconds and do a more typically dramatic shot. With Heat and The Insider, Mann managed to pull off this style successfully. In Ali he does not. In many cases conversations begin to rise but then only dissipate before anything really gripping has been said. Simply put, this film could have used a few more motivational speeches along the lines of a Rocky film. Perhaps it wouldn't have been as accurate, but it would have serviced a more dramatic story, at least one where the viewer really felt involved. Ali goes through two wives in the film and in neither case do they even serve to get very angry with him. Voices begin to rise and then either the woman or Ali leaves the room. The scene ends without any heavy emotion other than stern faces being shown. He's divorced a few minutes later. The fight scenes also have a lack of emotion. The film style is interesting and visually stimulating, but it could have used a few `it's over Rock!' lines here and there to punctuate things.

Mann's standard use of music again fails in many cases here. Whereas in "historical" films like Forrest Gump period music is used to punctuate a dramatic score, in Ali it is almost the sole backing track of the film. There is scarcely any musical score involved. When it is used, it often seems like it was just pieced together from leftovers to provide ambience. In a few key dramatic scenes, the pop ditties being played (although sometimes fitting lyrically) really end up being a distraction. The death of Malcolm X is a prime example. Ali's close friend has just been killed and you're just waiting for a rising orchestral number (however cliche and standard it may be, that's what you're looking for), but instead you get a period song that, at this point in the film, is beginning to sound like half a dozen others before it. In several cases Mann's musical style does work (Ali's jog through the streets of Zaire being an example, the closing number another) but the technique fails overall.

I've mostly criticized this film, which should not be the only viewpoint, because cinematically it is a fine work. There doesn't need to be another Ali film made, as this will service his legacy nicely. It has flaws, but I point out these flaws taking for granted just how good much of it is. The banter between Ali and Howard Cosell (Jon Voight, who completely disappears into this role) is classic, and work by Jaime Foxx and Mario Van Peebles (as Malcolm X) is solid as well. Michael Mann knows how to handle a film and I would rather watch a sub-par outing from him than most of what Hollywood produces any day. He's just done better. Some script work and a better musical score could have pushed this good film to greatness.

7/10

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