Ali (2001)

A biography of sports legend Muhammad Ali, focusing on his triumphs and controversies between 1964 and 1974.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

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

Stars:

Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 25 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 favor 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 | induction center | 

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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 [DVD] [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Swahili

Release Date:

25 December 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Али

Filming Locations:

Ghana

Box Office

Budget:

$107,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,216,625, 23 December 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$58,203,105

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,510,720

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:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finnish censorship visa # 107391.

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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

Muhammad Ali: What's my name? What's my name, motherfucker!

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Crazy Credits

The Columbia Pictures logo rolls backwards.

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Alternate Versions

A Director's Cut was released on DVD in North America on June 1st, 2004. The runtime of the film is approximately 8 minutes longer at around 165 minutes, but the changes are more significant than it seems: Director Michael Mann deleted about 5 minutes of footage and put 14 minutes of new material in.

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Connections

Featured in The 74th Annual Academy Awards (2002)

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Soundtracks

Memory Gospel
Written by Moby (as Richard Hall)
Performed by Moby
Courtesy of V2 Records, Inc./Mute Ltd.
Published by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. o/b/o itself and The Little Idiot Music

User Reviews

Poetry! Rewrites the book on filmic storytelling

A certain kind of critical response kept me away from this film when it was in theatrical release, and I should have known better! Michael Mann is one of the most original storytellers working in film today, and his sensibility is absolutely in sync with his subject here. Muhammad Ali always did it his way, and from the brilliant opening sequence (which breaks all kinds of rules of time and space) to the last scene, that's what Mann does, and with great style, as ever. Of course if an audience demands a literal drama, they might not catch the poetry Mann and his team create with sound and picture. Will Smith is outstanding as Ali, vocally and visually, Jon Voight is a unbelievably convincing Howard Cosell, and Mario Van Peebles is subtle and moving as Malcom X.