Ali (2001)

A biography of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early days to his days in the ring.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

Gregory Allen Howard (story), Stephen J. Rivele (screenplay),

Stars:

Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Smith	...	Cassius Clay / Cassius X / Muhammad Ali
Jamie Foxx	...	Drew 'Bundini' Brown
Jon Voight	...	Howard Cosell
Mario Van Peebles	...	Malcolm X
Ron Silver	...	Angelo Dundee
Jeffrey Wright	...	Howard Bingham
Mykelti Williamson	...	Don King
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Sonji Roi
Nona Gaye	...	Belinda Ali
Michael Michele	...	Veronica Porche
Joe Morton	...	Chauncey Eskridge
Paul Rodriguez	...	Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
Bruce McGill	...	Bradley
Barry Shabaka Henley	...	Jabir Herbert Muhammad
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr.

Storyline

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 Americans 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 abandonment 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

boxer | friendship | court | victory | vietnam war | 

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Taglines:

Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Sony [us] [DVD]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

25 December 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Muhammad Ali

Filming Locations:

Accra, Ghana

Box Office

Budget:

$107,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$646,787 (Germany) (16 August 2002)

Gross:

$646,787 (Germany) (16 August 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Forward Pass, Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

157 min 165 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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. Oliver Stone was commissioned as the project's director at one point. Stone's very first choice for the role of Muhammad Ali was Denzel Washington. However, when Washington signed on to another boxer biopic, The Hurricane, Stone opted to instead make Any Given Sunday. "The Hurricane" was made by Norman Jewison in the end.

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Goofs

When Ali is jogging in the very first scene, there's an '87 Taurus in the background, and a '90s vintage car in the carport.

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Quotes

Belinda: Don King talks black, lives white and thinks green.

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Crazy Credits

The Columbia Pictures logo rolls backwards.

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Connections

Features 17 Days Down the Line (1972)

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Soundtracks

"That's How It Feels"
Written by Bobby Womack and Don Covay (as Donald Covay)
Performed by The Soul Clan (as Soul Clan)
Courtesy of Atco Records/Elektra Entertainment Group
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Published by Cotillion Music, Inc. and Rag Mop Music Corp.
Administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

User Reviews

Good title, but the movie lacked the punch

"Ali", a movie about Muhammed Ali, regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time had all the potential for being a great movie. Ali has always been bigger than life...loved by the people...loved by the media for his blatant arrogance...loved by many women...his life alone would have supplied any movie with enough material to make it a 'good' movie at the very least. The problem with "Ali" is that the story jumped from one portion of his life to another, the transition wasn't smooth...it was more erratic than anything else. Will Smith's portrayal of the "living legend" was good, but definitely not "Oscar" material, like some critics would suggest. There were a few times where he seemed uneasy, almost nervous, and there were scenes where the other "supporting" characters would take over the scene (Don King for example). Jon Voight's portrayal of the venerable Howard Cossell was surprisingly good and right on the money. Other cast members like Jamie Foxx who played Drew 'Brundini' Brown (one of Ali's trainers) was equally impressive, he surely made the most of his supporting role and displayed his versatility since he's always been cast in a comedy. The movie overall lacked cohesiveness, I did like Michael Mann's camera work...the constant movement of the camera in most scenes depicted the turmoil, confusion..and it mirrored the political upheaval of the 60's. It would have been nice if the movie started with his gold medal win in the 1960 Olympic games...which would have set the tone for the whole movie. And for all the 'Rocky' fans out there, the boxing scenes were a little played out...it almost looked boring....since most of us are used to the 'Rocky' style of movie boxing. Overall, Smith played Ali well...but his lack of versatility and the erratic transition of the story was the movie's downfall.