Ali Review
by Ishmael Williams

Michael Mann's Ali was released on DVD a few weeks ago. Ishmael Williams took the time to catch the film and tell you if he liked it.

You can also read Tim Wick's Original review of the film

Muhammad Ali. I grew up on this guy. I remember when he was Cassius Clay. I couldnÕt stand him. He changed his name. I couldnÕt stand him. On Mar. 8th, 19 he fought Joe Frazier. He lost. It was the best birthday present I got that year.

But then something happened. I donÕt know what. I think I began to understand what Ali was all about, or at least what he was doing with his ring strategy. Suddenly, he was much more palatable and a lot more fun to watch.

But this isnÕt about the man known as Ali. This is about the movie known as Ali. Would that I had liked the movie as much as I do alike. Would that I had liked the movie as much as i DISliked Ali.

So that gets us right to it. The movie chronicles AliÕs career pretty much from his conversion to Islam through the end of the Foreman Fight, where-in he employed the famous Rope-A-Dope. WhatÕs sad here is that there is no new insight to be gained, no new understanding of his motivations. The movie clearly depicts the highlights of AliÕs life that we already know. It is a re-enactment of the press releases, interview and news stories we became accustomed to during the 60Õ2 through the early 80Õs. It also fails to mention what happened to Ali after the Foreman fight, and will leave many people wondering "whatever happened toÉ?"

The first of the two beakers I give this movie goes to Will Smith. Showing off the elasticity of his face, Will serves up a credible recreation of one of the most flamboyant characters of late 20th century America. There are times when, to my eye, he looked like Ali, beyond just acting like him. Will captures the grace of Ali in the ring, the flamboyance in interviews, and the brashness in facing his opponents. For brief shining moments, Will Smith IS Muhammad Ali.

The other beaker goes to John Voight, who recreates the personage of Howard Cossell. It is almost spooky how good a job Voight does, also at times becoming the legendary sportscaster. He carries himself into the role understanding what made Cossell who he was, and the friendship shared between he and Ali. Voight won an Oscar nomination for this role and it was well deserved.

So if you want to see two famous characters brought to life again, see this movie. If you really want to know about the Foreman-Ali fight, see "When we Were Kings", a better film with deeper understanding of the subject matter. If you want to understand the history of Ali, take a trip to the Museum of Broadcasting in New York City, get yourself a cubicle and peruse the old film clips and tapes of the interviews and news spots. YouÕll have more fun that viewing this movie, and get more out of it.

Ali

Two Beakers
(out of five)

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