Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysHispanic & Latino VoicesSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Ali

  • 20012001
  • K-11K-11
  • 2h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
100K
YOUR RATING
Will Smith in Ali (2001)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:28
5 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaSport

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

IMDb RATING
6.7/10
100K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael Mann
  • Writers
    • Gregory Allen Howard(story)
    • Stephen J. Rivele(screenplay)
    • Christopher Wilkinson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Will Smith
    • Jamie Foxx
    • Jon Voight
  • Director
    • Michael Mann
  • Writers
    • Gregory Allen Howard(story)
    • Stephen J. Rivele(screenplay)
    • Christopher Wilkinson(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Will Smith
    • Jamie Foxx
    • Jon Voight
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 418User reviews
    • 77Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 10 wins & 27 nominations total

    Videos5

    Ali
    Trailer 2:28
    Ali
    Ali
    Trailer 2:53
    Ali
    Ali
    Trailer 2:47
    Ali
    Which Roles Did Will Smith Turn Down?
    Clip 2:27
    Which Roles Did Will Smith Turn Down?
    The 5 Best Biopics of All Time With O'Shea Jackson Jr.
    Video 3:26
    The 5 Best Biopics of All Time With O'Shea Jackson Jr.

    Photos111

    Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and Ron Silver in Ali (2001)
    Ali (2001)
    Will Smith in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith and Jon Voight in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith and Mykelti Williamson in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith and Michael Bentt in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith in Ali (2001)
    Will Smith in Ali (2001)
    Muhammad Ali, Will Smith  and Darrell Foster training for Ali Movie. Howard Bingham looking on.

    Top cast

    Edit
    Will Smith
    Will Smith
    • Cassius Clay…
    Jamie Foxx
    Jamie Foxx
    • Drew 'Bundini' Brown
    Jon Voight
    Jon Voight
    • Howard Cosell
    Mario Van Peebles
    Mario Van Peebles
    • Malcolm X
    Ron Silver
    Ron Silver
    • Angelo Dundee
    Jeffrey Wright
    Jeffrey Wright
    • Howard Bingham
    Mykelti Williamson
    Mykelti Williamson
    • Don King
    Jada Pinkett Smith
    Jada Pinkett Smith
    • Sonji
    Nona Gaye
    Nona Gaye
    • Belinda Ali
    Michael Michele
    Michael Michele
    • Veronica Porche
    Joe Morton
    Joe Morton
    • Chauncey Eskridge
    Paul Rodriguez
    Paul Rodriguez
    • Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
    Bruce McGill
    Bruce McGill
    • Bradley
    Barry Shabaka Henley
    Barry Shabaka Henley
    • Herbert Muhammad
    Giancarlo Esposito
    Giancarlo Esposito
    • Cassius Clay, Sr.
    Laurence Mason
    Laurence Mason
    • Luis Sarria
    LeVar Burton
    LeVar Burton
    • Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Albert Hall
    Albert Hall
    • Elijah Muhammad
    • Director
      • Michael Mann
    • Writers
      • Gregory Allen Howard(story)
      • Stephen J. Rivele(screenplay)
      • Christopher Wilkinson(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Will Smith actually turned down the role of Ali. He relented after Ali called Smith and asked him to take the role, because he was the only one as good looking as him that could play the role.
    • Goofs
      When Ali starts to run in the streets of Kinshasa, a kid in the background has a modern microscooter.
    • Quotes

      Muhammad Ali: I ain't draft dodging. I ain't burning no flag. I ain't running to Canada. I'm staying right here. You want to send me to jail? Fine, you go right ahead. I've been in jail for 400 years. I could be there for 4 or 5 more, but I ain't going no 10,000 miles to help murder and kill other poor people. If I want to die, I'll die right here, right now, fightin' you, if I want to die. You my enemy, not no Chinese, no Vietcong, no Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. Want me to go somewhere and fight for you? You won't even stand up for me right here in America, for my rights and my religious beliefs. You won't even stand up for my right here at home.

    • Crazy credits
      The Columbia Pictures logo rolls backwards.
    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring/Monster's Ball/Joe Somebody/Ali (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Twisting the Night Away
      (Sam Cooke Medley)

      Written by Sam Cooke

      Produced by Trevor Horn and Michael Mann

      Performed by David Elliott

      Published by Abkco Music, Inc.

    User reviews418

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Meet the man behind the gloves and the poetry
    Muhammad Ali is a heroic character with legendary wit, humanity, and boxing skill. Always a fighter and always a lover, Ali's life is a subtle and clever story of dignity, strength, and compassion. And Ali himself wrote that story. This film profoundly reminds me of an autobiography Ali wrote several years ago with the help of a friend. Never afraid to do what needed to be done to get where he wanted to go, Ali was never a stranger to controversy, flambuoyance, acid wit, and an outspoken promotion of truth - even when most of his own fans couldn't see it. This film captures the champ's many battles, not the least of which are the internal battles he wages with himself over politics, his ego, money and his own destructive patterns in relationships with women. But thankfully, it does so in a respectful way which does not compromise the man's heroism, nor does it spare the audience of the laughter, mischief and joy Ali became so well known for.

    Michael Mann's film has relatively little boxing in it, and is in no way a chronicle of Ali's career. A better choice for that subject is "The Greatest" - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076111/combined starring Ali himself, or one of the many documentaries on Ali. This film is about how and why Ali is who he is, and how he drove himself and everybody around him to reach phenomenal heights. It features the beginnings of Ali's career and follows him through the most difficult part of his career, when he fought the US government over the Viet Nam war, fought his own religious establishment over his outspokenness, and even fought against hypocritical promoters he relied on who were bent on exploiting the third world. Too intelligent to just be a prize fighter, too passionate to just shut up, and too faithful to give up his religion when it gave up on him, Ali just kept on driving. The film ends after Ali's fight against George Foreman in 1977, so it does not cover his entire career, and does not discuss his more recent activities. His life since retiring from boxing is equally interesting, in my opinion, but since Mann wanted to depict the most dramatic and challenging aspects of the Ali legend, I can't blame him for his choice of time frame.

    The cast is very strong. Will Smith gives a fine performance wonderfully recasting Ali's wonderful facial expressions, gestures, physical style and speech pattern, Jamie Foxx, Ron Silver and Mario Van Peebles are all excellent in their supporting roles. And the boxers are all very believable. They even look like the people they play. Smith doesn't really look anything like Ali, and you are occasionally aware (mainly through Smith's imitation of the greatest's very unique speech) that you are watching an imitation, but this does not in any way detract from the film.

    Highly recommended for those interested in real-life drama and heroism, the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and the intelligent and political side of American sports. NOT recommended for fans of boxing movies and action films. This is a slow moving, intense drama and neither a feel-good film nor a slug-fest.
    helpful•40
    17
    • mstomaso
    • Jul 18, 2005

    FAQ1

    • What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 25, 2001 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Pictures
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
      • Swahili
    • Also known as
      • Алі
    • Filming locations
      • Accra, Ghana
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Forward Pass
      • Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $107,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $58,203,105
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,710,892
      • Dec 30, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $87,812,729
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Will Smith in Ali (2001)
    Top Gap
    What is the Hindi language plot outline for Ali (2001)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View image
    Photos
    Trending: Stars to Watch
    See the gallery
    View image
    Photos
    Double Duty: Musicians-Turned-Actors
    See the full gallery
    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-Offs
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.