Production Year: 2001 - Action/Adventure - Director: Michael Mann - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Giancarlo Esposito, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Jonathan Cake, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jeffrey Wright, Nona Gaye more
Michael Mann's ALI manages to be an informative look at the career of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and an entertaining and moving portrait of the man. The action begins with the... more
1964--when he took the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston--to 1974, when he took it back from George Foreman in Zaire. Along the way, the film looks ...
1964--when he took the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston--to 1974, when he took it back from George Foreman in Zaire. Along the way, the film looks ...
boxing legend Muhammad Ali in a visually stunning epic from Academy Award-nominated director Michael Mann (The Insider). Beginning with Ali's ground-breaking boxi...
Ali [DVD] [2002]
Aliis a substantial biopic that follows the career of Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali from ... more
1964--when he took the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston--to 1974, when he took it back from George Foreman in Zaire. Along the way, the film looks at Ali's three marriages and his problematic involvement with the Nation of Islam, which inspires him to change his name, get rid of his first wife (Jada Pinkett Smith) and turn his back on old ally Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles).For a fiercely independent person, Michael Mann's Ali has a knack of alienating those who genuinely love him, while chasing the approval of dubious father figures such as the Reverend Elijah Mohamed, Don King and President Mobutu. AlthoughAliis not a hagiography--Mann urging Will Smith to get into the many layers of Ali, from the mouthy public face to the quieter private person--the question of whether either of the Liston fights were fixed isn't even raised, and the fall of Ali's career is left out in favour of a climax that draws heavily from the documentaryWhen We Were Kings. Mann is as interested in the politics as he is in the sport (which leaves actors like Ron Silver as the coach short-changed), offering occasional cutaways to the government spies and plants in the black movements. More knockout blows are offered in the speeches than in the ring. --Kim Newman
Comical Ali [2003] [DVD]
Comical Aliis a dry tribute to the thus-nicknamed former Iraqi Minister for Information, ... more
Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahaf, whose bravura performances at press conferences throughout the brief Iraq War of 2003 turned him into a global icon, celebrated on numerous Web sites and even showered with tongue-in-cheek praise by President Bush himself. His colourful denunciations of the "villains" and "mercenaries" whom he insisted were being "crushed" by the glorious Republican Guard at every turn only increased in their volume and insistence when TV footage of American troops occupying Saddam Airport plainly proved that he was talking nonsense. And, as a dry smile played about the Minister's lips, you wondered if he himself realised he was talking nonsense and was having fun with it--or was he a Saddam loyalist in pathological denial?Wisely and appropriately, this low-budget documentary restrains itself from overplaying the comedy element here, even if the cover artwork makes you fear otherwise. Rather, it offers a potted history of the War, thumbnail profiles of "Comical Ali" and his boss Saddam Hussein and earnestly ponders whether Al-Sahaf only embarked on his lurid stream of blatant whoppers because he was under orders to do so? (Well, there's a thought...). Copious and highly entertaining footage of Al-Sahaf enables you to arrive at your own theory as to whether he was bad, mad or sad, or all three. --David Stubbs
Comical Ali [2003] [DVD]
Comical Aliis a dry tribute to the thus-nicknamed former Iraqi Minister for Information, ... more
Mohammed Saeed Al-Sahaf, whose bravura performances at press conferences throughout the brief Iraq War of 2003 turned him into a global icon, celebrated on numerous Web sites and even showered with tongue-in-cheek praise by President Bush himself. His colourful denunciations of the "villains" and "mercenaries" whom he insisted were being "crushed" by the glorious Republican Guard at every turn only increased in their volume and insistence when TV footage of American troops occupying Saddam Airport plainly proved that he was talking nonsense. And, as a dry smile played about the Minister's lips, you wondered if he himself realised he was talking nonsense and was having fun with it--or was he a Saddam loyalist in pathological denial?Wisely and appropriately, this low-budget documentary restrains itself from overplaying the comedy element here, even if the cover artwork makes you fear otherwise. Rather, it offers a potted history of the War, thumbnail profiles of "Comical Ali" and his boss Saddam Hussein and earnestly ponders whether Al-Sahaf only embarked on his lurid stream of blatant whoppers because he was under orders to do so? (Well, there's a thought...). Copious and highly entertaining footage of Al-Sahaf enables you to arrive at your own theory as to whether he was bad, mad or sad, or all three. --David Stubbs
Production Year: 2003 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jonathon Mostow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, Kristinna Loken, David Andrews
Production Year: 2007 - Action/Adventure - Director: Paul Greengrass - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Edgar Ramirez, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
A review by christianfilmcritic on Ali (DVD) October 15th, 2007
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Liked it
Story
Good
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
Soundtrack
Good
Advantages:
Will Smith in an exceptional performance, very insightful
Disadvantages:
The roughness will put some people off, drags in places
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
● Synopsis
"Ali" is the biopic based on the life of legendary heavy weight boxer Muhammad Ali from the period 1964, where he clashed with the infamous Sonny Liston, through a decade to 1974 and the now famous 'Rumble in the Jungle' fight against George Foreman.
● Opinion
The first time I sat down to watch "Ali" I actually turned it off after about 15 minutes as it was nothing like what I expected. Not only did I expect a full biopic of his life from his early days but I also had become accustomed to the glitzy, highly polished biopics which Hollywood usually churns out and "Ali" is nothing of the sorts. Instead "Ali" concentrates solely on a turbulent ten year period in the fighter's life where he finds himself fighting for his boxing licence in the courts after refusing to go to war for America. But also, the whole film has a much rougher feel to it and at times it feels like you are watching an unedited, rough cut of a film. Saying that, I recently revisited the film and can now appreciate it fully as quite a masterful film, which although is by no means perfect, actually shows what is in my opinion a much more honest account of his life and one which doesn't need a highly polished production to deliver a powerful story.
As previously mentioned "Ali" just covers a small period of the boxer's life, but it as a period which was one of the most turbulent. The film covers in detail his conversion to Islam, his troubled personal life which saw the failure of his marriage and also his fight for the right to box after falling foul of the law when he refused the American draft. Whilst this single decade is obviously a bit of a disappointment, especially as the years prior and post this era have been just as dramatic, it allows the film to really go into significant depth of what happened. I have to admit that I wasn't around for this era and only really know about the legend from more recent appearances and also from the countless books which chronicle his life, but it is really fascinating to see the troubles he went through. One of the best things about the film is that it disperses with the usual glitz which dominates biopics and its rawness allows the whole emphasis of the film to be on the story. It must have taken a lot of courage for director Michael Mann to not only make a film about someone who is still alive but also do it in such a manner that bucks the usual trend. It's also interesting to see the depth of Ali's relationships with all those around him from Malcolm X, to other boxers and most significantly his team who helped him train. The whole film surprising manages to hit an emotional note as you see a side of Ali which was somewhat different to the public persona which many of us only know.
Of course with a film about one of the most iconic boxers of all time the film is going to have a few action sequences featuring the actual fights and training sessions. Compared to other boxing films, such as "Rocky" and "Cinderella Man", the fight scenes feel a bit under worked, but then for me they actually fitted in with the general rawness of the film. There were very few moments when it felt like a fight was overly choreographed and there were definitely no moments of over the top posing, although watching Will Smith bring alive the Ali shuffle and his general showman ship in the ring was an absolute delight. Again I feel Michael Mann has done a brilliant job of recreating these fight sequences and some of the clever camera angles he uses really makes you feel like you are in the middle of the ring getting smacked senseless. Likewise with the training sessions, they don't feel like they are a fitness DVD which is the usual case with boxing films, but are far more realistic, displaying the intensity and emotion of the moment rather than bulging biceps and quads. A lot of praise should also go to the numerous real boxers who were drafted in to play the parts of legendary boxers such as Sonny Liston and George Foreman. For men who are not trained actors they did a brilliant job of convincing me that they were the great men themselves and I am sure using these real boxers aided in making the fights more realistic.
One of the most memorable things to come out of this film is that Will Smith is more than capable of serious acting, quite a feat seeing that not only is Ali one of the most iconic sportsmen of the last century but also in the fact that he is still alive. I did wonder how effective Smith would be at playing a heavy weight boxer seeing that prior to the film he always looked slightly scrawny. But not only is his performance first rate but the amount of training he must have undertook to build his frame up to that of Ali's is impressive in its own right. When I say that not once do you feel that you are watching Will Smith perform is an understatement, it is as if Ali himself was appearing in the film. From his prowess in the ring, to his jive talking, poetic put downs of other boxers everything captured the legend of Muhammad Ali at his best. But it is not just Smith which makes this film so memorable, and performances from Jamie Foxx as well as Jon Voight really help make this such a great film. In fact I was unaware that Jon Voight actually appeared in the film as boxing commentator Howard Cossell and unless you knew this you really wouldn't recognize him. That is one of they keys to this film, even though it has some very prominent actors you never once feel that you are watching the actors but the actual men themselves. Special mention should go to Mario Van Peebles, who again I didn't realise appeared in the film, but puts in a stunning performance as Malcolm X.
If I had one real criticism of "Ali" is that at times it does drag it's feet, and at over 2 and a half hours long you do feel every moment of it. Whilst I can understand that director Michael Mann was aiming to make a different sort of biopic, one which worked on fact rather than poetic licence, it felt at times that some scenes were dragged out longer than necessary resulting in it losing some of the intensity of the drama. One such scene which although highly moving, is Ali running through the African ghettos in the lead up to the legendary 'Rumble in the Jungle', everything about it built up to a nice emotional high but then it wne ton for about 2 minutes too much. Despite this I still feel Mann has done a remarkable job of making a film which really puts you in touch with the focal character rather than attempting to woo you with Hollywood glam.
● Film Summary
For me "Ali" is a very memorable film, one which manages to touch me no matter how many times I watch, with its raw, sometimes mean and moody production it differs from the majority of Hollywood Biopics and in doing so paints a much grittier picture than we have become accustomed to. Whilst it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is well worth a viewing for two reasons. Firstly you learn a lot more about this Boxing legend than you would expect and also you get to witness one of Will Smith's best performances so far and one which I feel should have won him an Oscar.
● DVD Features
This DVD package comes on two discs with the first disc feature the film, whilst the second disc holds the bonus features. Sadly on this version there is no audio commentary which later appeared on the Director's Cut.
Behind the scenes - This is purely a montage of behind the scenes footage, which heavily focuses on Will Smith and Jon Voight. Whilst slightly disappointing in the fact that it is purely a montage with no information on the making of the film, it is interesting to see that many of the actors stayed in character even when not filming. At just over 10 minutes long it is quite enjoyable and the adlib verbal sparring between Smith and Voight as they stay in character is very funny.
The Making of Ali - This is a much more substantial feature and at just under half an hour packs a lot in. Made in the usual style of film footage, behind the scenes footage and interviews it comes over thankfully as informative rather than a promotional piece and focuses quite a bit on the choice of Will Smith to play Ali and his transformation physically. Some of the best bits of this feature are when Muhammad Ali himself is on set watching the fighting scenes and despite his crippling illness still interacting with Will Smith. Despite focussing mainly on Smith it does deliver a lot of information on other aspects of the film. One negative is that some of the scenes which appear in the behind the scenes feature are repeated here.
Cast & Crew Soundbites - This feature, or actually a set of 17 features, are small edited interviews with key personnel from the cast through to the crew which can only be watched one at a time rather than all at once. Whilst some of the interviews are definitely more interesting than others there is a lot of repetition of information which came across in the "Making of Ali" feature. Probably one of the best interviews is with Michael Mann where he explains that he didn't want to make a film which idolizes Ali but one which has a really authentic, realistic feel to it.
Also on the DVD is the trailer for the film which actually rounds this off quite nicely.
● DVD Quality
This is quite a difficult film to judge on picture quality as the whole film has a lot of rawness about it, but any problems with the picture I feel are from the original print rather than issues with the transfer. Where there seems to be problems are scenes which are filmed indoors where the image has a slight softness about it but then I am sure this was intentional. Otherwise colours are solid and the whole thing has an authentic feel about it.
Audio wise the film is very impressive and during the boxing sequences the way the sound uses all the channels makes you feel like you are in the ring getting punched about. Otherwise, dialogue mainly comes through the front channel and the soundtrack spreads itself out nicely between the left and right fields, although at times this feels slightly week balanced against the dialogue.
● DVD Summary
Although the Behind the Scenes feature is amusing and The Making of is informative the quantity and quality of the bonus features is disappointing. My main criticism is that a lot of the interviews and clips are used numerous times making the bonus features feel very repetitive. Also the lack of an audio commentary is a huge disappointment and makes this DVD package feel quite week. The audio and sound quality is satisfactory although I feel that the way the film was shot and edited makes it feel slightly raw.
● Price & Availability
www.amazon.co.uk : £6.97
● Technical Details
Certificate: 15 (Contains some swearing and fighting) Duration: 156 mins Year of Release: 2001 Genre: Biopic, sport, drama
DVD Release: 2002 Subtitles: English Audio: English Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Region: 2 Number of Discs: 2
Director(s): Michael Mann Writer(s): Gregory Allen Howard (story), Stephen J. Rivele (screenplay)
Cast: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona Gaye
Advantages: Excellent portrait charting Ali's life ... Disadvantages: He had a few fights too many...
...Instead, the film focuses upon Ali the Great, when he was at the top of his profession, a cultural icon yet politically ostracised.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cassius Clay
~~~~~~~~~~
This is a short piece of history leading up to the events of the film.
Muhammad Ali was born "Cassius Marcellus Clay" on 17th January 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. His parents earned a modest living and worked hard for what they had. Ali started boxing in junior high, when ... ...box by a policeman. Ali quickly set his ambition to be a top fighter and set his short-term goal on becoming an Olympian. Ali fought in the 1960 Rome Olympics and won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division. Soon after, he turned professional, and having beaten his first opponents rather convincingly, he was given the opportunity to fight world heavyweight champion, Sonny Liston, on 25th February 1964, a fight that saw Cassisus Clay knocked ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Excellent performance by Will Smith, compelling viewing Disadvantages: Boxing fans won't like the lack of boxing
Born Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali converted to Islam during the course of his boxing career, and turned his back on his Christian background and slave name. This was to colour much of his life outside of boxing; he divorced his first wife, for example, because although she converted to Islam herself, she refused to dress appropriately. He claimed that fighting in the Vietnam war was against his religious beliefs, leading to all sorts of trouble, including ... ...insignificant compared to that of Ali - the man himself was larger than life and Will Smith took that on board and eclipsed everyone else in the film. I do, however, have to briefly mention Jon Voight, who plays Howard Cosell, a journalist who develops a love/hate relationship with Ali - his chemistry with Will Smith is fantastic and together, they add some much needed humour to the film. I have already mentioned my dislike of boxing. I think one ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Excellent acting, good storyline Disadvantages: Less of what we were shown and more about the rest of his career
Ali is a film which shows part of the life of Cassius Clay. I have seen parts of this film before but as I saw it for a bargain price I decided to get it and actually watch the whole thing. The film starts with Cassius going for a shot at the title fight which he does win and soon becomes the Heavy Weight Champion of the World. He is close friends with a man called Malcolm X who is a black Muslim and has talked Cassius Clay into converting to become ... ...Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali is now champion of the world and is more than happy to use his fame to put across is political views and how the black Americans should stand up for themselves and demand to be treated as equals. Muhammad goes on to win more fights and he soon become undefeated but his luck is about to change when he is enlisted in the US Army which he refuses to do so now faces a very lengthy court case and the possibility of 5 years in ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Good acting and boxing matches Disadvantages: Slow pace in places, no in-depth detail for many events
Ali is directed by Michael Mann and was originally released in 2001. The film covers a 10 year period of Muhammed Ali's boxing career, 1964-1974, but overall seems to be rushed. As a result we only touch on the events and do not get a real chance to look in-depth which is a shame. Will Smith plays the part of Ali and does an excellent job in my opinion in recreating the true character that Muhammed Ali was in terms of boxing ability and arrogance. ... ...hour of the movie shows Ali converting to the Islamic faith followed by his refusal to fight in the Vietnam War resulting in a jail term - Also removing his boxing belt. Shortly after he is cleared and starts back on the road to the heavy weight championship where we see fights with Joe Frasier and George Foreman. Throughout the film we are introduced to the friends in Ali's life such as trainer Angelo Dundee (played by Ron Silver), and the Bundini ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Ali biography Disadvantages: a bit political
...did not grow up watching Ali fights I was too young, but I do think that he every much as great as they say he is.
The film depicts Ali's success in boxing between the 60's and 70's. The film concentrates on his major fights entwined with the political imbalance at the time, especially that involving the black radical movement i.e. that 'Nation of Islam' and one of its most prominent speakers Malcolm x. I think the film was very well done as a kind ... ...feel some of the pressures Ali felt and the battles he had to go through within his personal life as well as his boxing career. In the movie Ali is depicted as a man very much in love with, what he does mainly boxing. There were other insights in the movie which centred on his religious and political beliefs, such as he denounced his name, because it was to him a symbol of slavery given to him by the slave master that governed his family; Cassius ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: A few jokes Disadvantages: Lame plot, dull looking, nothing new
...The success of Ali G on television meant that a big screen adventure for the leader of the Staines massive was inevitable. I count myself as a fan of Ali and get the joke that all he is a piss take on all those white boys who think they're actually cool following the black culture. However the character works because he was also someone who would conduct an interview with people who obviously didn't get it and wanted to appear cool to the 'youth' of the UK, I'm talking about politicians etc. Ali G was funny purely because he was an outrageous character in normal situations.
It's a shame that they forgot the characters principles when they made this movie. I was ready to give Ali G Indahouse a fair go, I didn't see it on it's theatrical release but though I couldn't go wrong with a blind purchase on DVD. Sadly I was wrong...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: will smith Disadvantages: drags on at times
...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...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Very amusing Lots of variety Disadvantages: Very few
...referring to cocaine usage. Boyson was oblivious to this comment and carried on, eventually admitting that he was often caned in school!!
Another example was when he interviewed Tony Benn and asked if the welfare state was so-called because it's "well fair". He proceeded to infuriate Benn by suggesting that it was far better to live on benefits than working for a living. Benn went ballistic which made the whole thing so much funnier.
Anyway, back to this video. Ali G can no longer do stitch ups on these shores. He has had his own TV show, movie and is an A list celeb. Therefore on this DVD he is talking to americans or the type of brits who don't know the price of milk or who David Beckham is! His Borat character is superb. A lanky Kazhakstan tv reporter with a very poor command of English, he relys on peoples good nature to demonstrate...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Michael Mann's ALI manages to be an informative look at the career of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and an entertaining and moving portrait of the man. The action begins with the brash young Cassius Clay's surprising victory over Sonny Liston. The film depicts Clay's conversion to Islam, his partnership with "Bundini" Brown (Jamie Foxx in a wonderfully complex turn), his friendship with Howard Cosell (a transformed Jon Voight), his principled refusal to serve in the military during Vietnam, and his subsequent problems with the law and the boxing commission. The film concludes with Ali's battle with George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle." Will Smith delivers a worthy performance, transforming his body, face, and voice to capture the spirit of the charismatic fighter. The work of the supporting cast is superb, including Smith's real-life wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Marvin Gaye's daughter, Nona Gaye, as the women in Ali's life. Mann brings the viewer in close to the boxing action, effectively depicting Ali's unique grace and quickness, and the violent frenzy of the sport. The film shows the familiar public figure of fights and press conferences, and also gives a glimpse of the quiet, thoughtful private life of Ali.
Technical information
Special Features: Featurettes - 1. HBO Making Of special, 2. Behind-the-Scenes, Audio Commentary - Cast & Crew Audio Clips, Trailer - Original Theatrical Trailer
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English DTS 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review: "...Smith is undeniably excellent in the role, capturing the essence of Ali's character....Other supporting performers are equally convincing..." (Box Office, p.56, 01/02/2002)
"...Dazzling....As Ali, Will Smith undergoes the kind of astonishing self-transformation that makes you blink, then stare..." (Entertainment Weekly, p.44-5, 04/01/2002)
"...ALI is a breakthrough for director Michael Mann....His overwhelming love of its subject will turn audiences into exuberant, thrilled fight crowds..." (New York Times, p.E1, 25/12/2001)
"...Smith gives a towering performance, defiantly funny and impassioned....Mann and Smith deliver this powerhouse with the urgency of a champ's left hook..." (Rolling Stone, p.56, 17/01/2002)
"...Smith has nailed the voice, the charm, the body language -- he has, in short, become Ali as much as any actor possibly could..." (Total Film, p.100, 01/03/2002)
"...[The film] possesses an informed, intelligent perspective..." (Variety, p.35-41, 17/12/2001)
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