The Michael Mann directed and Will Smith starring biopic 'Ali' sat near the top of my list of the most eagerly awaited films of 2001. I had thoroughly enjoyed 'Heat' and thought Mann's 'The Last Mohicans' and the Russell-Crowe-starrer 'The Insider' were incredible. Mann is not afraid of putting together a film that is long and very informative and his talents seemed well suited to creating a film about one of the most dynamic personalities in sports history, Muhammad Ali. 'Ali' was a costly production and was budgeted at a reported $107 million. Pitted against the epic 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' and 'Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,' 'Ali' faced two tough opponents in one arena and went down swinging. The film went on to gross around $60 million domestically. I had eagerly awaited the tale of Cassius Clay but was one of many to place it second behind the Peter Jackson tale of Hobbits and Rings.
The film's disappointing gross is not just because of its opening time slot and the $300+ million grossing first part of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Mann's final work is masterful and entertaining. It is powerful and informative at times. However, at other times, the pacing is near horrendous, and sometimes there just wasn't enough time to describe what was going on in the film. Thus, the audience is left bored and confused. The picture takes place during a ten-year period between 1964 and 1974. A lot of the focus is on the Islam involvement, his connection with Malcolm X, and his decision to not take part in the Vietnam War. Many of these details and Ali's motivations are left without mention. We know that he is friends with Malcolm X, but his beliefs are never discussed in any detail. It is not hard to be left scratching your head and questioning the purpose of what is happening on-screen.
The film's pace does not always suffer. The fight
sequences and moments leading to the fights are awe-inspiring. Mann has taken a more stylistic approach to the choreography of the fights. Harsher angles and varied looks are used to describe the intensity of the fight. This is where Will Smith's new physique really comes into play. The sights and sounds of the fights are masterfully recreated and the disc technically shines at these moments. Ali's interactions with Lister, Foreman and Cosell (Jon Voight) are easily the most humorous and entertaining. These are placed as bookends of the fight sequences. During these times, the performances of Smith and Jon Voight shine. The actors are no longer themselves and it is hard to not think you are looking at the actual people in a biography. I really thought Voight and Smith deserved Oscars for their work. They were both impressive and champions in their own right.
Malcolm X and Ali's fights are not the only topics of discussion in Mann's biopic. A lot of time is dedicated to Ali's women. He went through a handful of wives in his time and is depicted as having a strong weakness in the opposite sex. A few warm moments are shared between Smith and the actresses portraying Muhammad Ali's various romances. These scenes add considerable length to the film, but offer a different glimpse of the champion. One failure of the film is that it does not strive to tell anything that is not commonly known, and the failures and successes of Ali's romantic life do offer something more than fights, draft dodging and black supremacy.
Michael Mann put together a very good film. However, it is not a film that appeals to the masses and the nature of some its scenes nearly bring the film to a halt and can make sitting in a dark room at night difficult to do without nodding off. Mann painted a good picture of Ali and did so with incredible performances by the two stars. I really did like the film, but like a long documentary, find it hard to easily sit through in one sitting. That's the beauty of DVD though, you ca pause the film and resume it at any time. Those looking for an action packed film on Ali's boxing exploits or a piece of information on the champ that is groundbreaking will walk away partly disappointed. This is a very good film, but Mann missed the knockout punch. What that punch could have been, I am not sure.
Video: A lot of buzz circulated over how Will Smith prepared and trained to take on the physical appearance of Muhammad Ali. Michael Mann has also earned a reputation for creating visually stunning films with a lot of style. Columbia/TriStar's DVD presentation of the film does not put the efforts of the filmmakers to waste and the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is quite impressive. To give a historical feel to the film, Mann has utilized a palette of slightly desaturated colors. Even with the less vibrant colors, everything looks great. There are some scenes that are brightly colored, and those too look stunning. Detail is top notch. The film is also populated with darker scenes, and the backgrounds of the boxing matches are darkened crowds. Black level and shadow detail are a knockout. The source print appeared to have been perfect and no evidence to prove otherwise can be found. Michael Mann has put together another great looking film and the transfer does him the justice he deserves.
Audio: If the visuals of 'Ali' dance like a butterfly, then it can be said that the provided English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack stings like a bee. While not as lively as pure action films, 'Ali' can keep up with the best of them in the sound department. Every channel is used appropriately and masterfully. During the fighting sequences, the sound editing and effects effectively bring the viewer into the ring. The power of Ali's punches and the ambience of the excited crowd all sound wonderful. These moments are easily the most impressive of the film and the most audibly exciting. The more dramatic moments are more relaxed, but sound is still clean and without any flaws. The impressive score and musical selections used in the film occupy all sound channels and elevate the scenes they are included in. Bass is deep. Dialogue is clear. A French language track, and English, French and Spanish subtitles are also included. There may not be explosions and roaring engines, but the final moments of the film is about as good as it gets.
Extras: Michael Mann is a director that is notorious for his dislike of providing supplements for home video releases of his films. 'The Last of the Mohicans' saw an extended cut released to DVD, but that is about as far as any involvement Mann has ever had with his films. Anchor Bay's 'Manhunter' Limited Edition saw a number of supplements and was a 'Director's Cut' but failed to possess any involvement by the director. 'Ali' is no exception to the Mann DVD rule, and there are no true supplements included except for the theatrical trailer for 'Ali,' a very entertaining and visual trailer for 'Spiderman' and a teaser trailer for the upcoming Will Smith film 'Men In Black II.' This was a very expensive project that did not perform as hoped at the box office. I'm sure a 2-disc set would have made a few more dollars. Can anybody say 'Deluxe Superbit'?' Sure, I knew you could.
Summary: A few years back, I was completely in shock when Russell Crowe did not earn an Oscar for his DeNiro-esque role in Michael Mann's 'The Insider.' This year, Mann's 'Ali' brought about wonderful performances by both John Voight as Howard Cosell and Will Smith as Muhammad Ali. As Crowe did in 'The Insider,' Smith underwent a physical change and became the character. He also did well in mimicking Ali's voice and mannerisms. Voight was hidden under makeup, but unless you told me who was Howard Cosell, I would never have guessed it was John Voight. Both men were awesome. Mann's film is very good, because of his style, wonderful fight sequences and the acting of Voight and Smith. The film drags on at times and fails to explain bits of meaningful information. However, when not during those slight moments when it bores or confuses, Mann's 'Ali' is brilliant. I liked the film, but was slightly disappointed. It was glitzy (performances, visuals), but lacked some substance (storytelling). The DVD is much the same way. It is glitzy (audio, video), but lacks substance (supplements). I recommend the film, but I warn you that it may take two sittings to complete.
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(+) Because of the new series the box set isn't complete, which means it will be cheaper! (-) It isnt the complete box set so you'll have to buy the new dvds seperatly or wait for the new set!
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Production Year: 2003 - Comedy - Director: John Crowley - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Colin Farrell, Shirley Henderson, Cillian Murphy, Colm Meaney, Rory Keenan, Laurence Kinlan
I either hear brilliant reviews, or reviews saying how pants it is, I think I'll hire it on video as I want to see it. I'll have to judge for myself. Lisa x x x
Mattroberts 25.05.2003 00:38
I'm looking forward to see this, He was a great man, Matt x x
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Advantages: Good quality, enjoyable and interesting, good fights and good acting Disadvantages: Not a pure boxing film, or a pure life story. Too long and fails to last in the middle.
Chris_Padden 16.07.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Ali G - Aiii (DVD)
Advantages: A similar style to Roth's previous work "Forest Gump" if you liked that, you like this movie's style Disadvantages: Missing much of the essance that made the original Ali "The greatest boxer of all time"
naryan1 17.03.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Ali G - Aiii (DVD)
![Ali G - Aiii [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/81124550.jpg "Ali G - Aiii [DVD] [2000]")
May 24th, 2003
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