A documentary of the 1974 heavyweight championship bout in Zaire, "The Rumble in the Jungle," between champion George Foreman and underdog challenger Muhammad Ali.
Director:
Leon Gast
From metacritic.com
Richard Madden shares why this was the role for him, and what he swiped from the "Game of Thrones" set.
Related News
-
10 Boxing Movies to Get You Hyped for Mayweather-McGregor
25 August 2017 | MovieWeb -
I am Bolt! The world's fastest man gets the best sports documentary ever made
31 July 2017 | The Guardian - TV News -
Exclusive Portraits: Helen Mirren & Taylor Hackford Honored at Cinema/Chicago Gala
31 May 2017 | HollywoodChicago.com
Editorial Lists
Related lists from IMDb editors
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: When We Were Kings (1996)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
The Rumble in the Jungle
(1974)
Documentary
|
Sport
Stars:
Muhammad Ali,
George Foreman,
Marv Albert
Facing Ali
(2009)
Documentary
|
Biography
|
Sport
Director:
Pete McCormack
Stars:
George Chuvalo,
Henry Cooper,
George Foreman
Hoop Dreams
(1994)
Documentary
|
Drama
|
Sport
Director:
Steve James
Stars:
William Gates,
Arthur Agee,
Emma Gates
Thrilla in Manila
(TV Movie 2008)
Documentary
|
Sport
Director:
John Dower
Stars:
Joe Frazier,
Marvis Frazier,
Thomas Hauser
Murderball
(2005)
Documentary
|
Sport
Directors:
Henry Alex Rubin,
Dana Adam Shapiro
Stars:
Joe Soares,
Keith Cavill,
Mark Zupan
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Muhammad Ali | ... | Himself | |
| George Foreman | ... | Himself | |
| Don King | ... | Himself | |
| James Brown | ... | Himself | |
| B.B. King | ... | Himself | |
 |
Mobutu Sese Seko | ... | Himself (President of Zaire) |
| Spike Lee | ... | Himself | |
| Norman Mailer | ... | Himself - Writer | |
| George Plimpton | ... | Himself - Writer | |
|
|
Thomas Hauser | ... | Himself |
| Malick Bowens | ... | Himself - Artist (as Malik Bowens) | |
|
|
Lloyd Price | ... | Himself - Concert Promoter |
| The Spinners | ... | Themselves | |
| Miriam Makeba | ... | Herself | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Drew Bundini Brown | ... | Himself - Ali's Ass't Trainer (as Drew 'Bundini' Brown) |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (29) »
Storyline
It's 1974, Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the Heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a backer in Mobutu Sese Seko, the dictator of Zaire and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set. A musical festival, featuring the America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King, is also planned. Written by Gary Dickerson <slug@mail.utexas.edu>
Plot Keywords:
championship bout | title fight | rumble in the jungle | zaire | boxing |Taglines:
The untold story of the Rumble in the JungleMotion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG for images of violence, brief nudity and some language | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
14 February 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Amikor királyok voltunk - Muhammad Ali See more »Filming Locations:
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of CongoEdit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$2,666,118, 8 June 1997Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
[...]
See more »
Written by James Brown and Pee Wee Ellis (as Alfred James Ellis)
Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI)
(Admin. By Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp.) (BMI)
Performed by James Brown
Featuring Fred Wesley
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Almost all of the footage was shot in 1974. The film took 23 years to complete because the negatives and rights were caught up in civil suits involving the Liberians who financed it. See more »Quotes
Muhammad Ali: It is befitting that I leave the game just like I came in, beating a big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whup him. That's when little Cassius Clay from Louisville, Kentucky, came up to stop Sonny Liston. The man who annihilated Floyd Patterson twice. HE WAS GONNA KILL ME! But he hit harder than George. His reach is longer than George's. He's a better boxer than George. And I'm better now than I was when you saw that 22-years old undeveloped kid running from Sonny Liston. I'm...[...]
See more »
Soundtracks
Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm ProudWritten by James Brown and Pee Wee Ellis (as Alfred James Ellis)
Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI)
(Admin. By Warner Tamerlane Publishing Corp.) (BMI)
Performed by James Brown
Featuring Fred Wesley
See more »
This is not a film without flaws. At certain points, I cringe at some of the implications, at the juxtaposition of images and thoughts. If this film were on a different topic, I would probably dislike it.
That withstanding, it is a film about something so rare and exquisite, so moving, so profound: a hero. Muhammad Ali is the only man I can think of in the 20th Century deserving of this title. Just to look at him is to feel awe. His beauty, his conviction, his strength, his piety, all bound together in a contradictory but exquisite whole. Ali is a Whittman poem of flesh and blood.
Shortcomings of this film aside, I can watch it again and again, and cry every time. And feel both shame and strength, and perhaps some hope, when confronted with Ali. If I ever have children, they will watch this film, if only because I can find nothing else that I can say stands for what I believe in.