THE MOVIE PAGES in association with impact internet services presents ALI starring Wil Smith ali.htm

Insight Get ready to rumble. The face of the most recognised sporting person in the world is about to hit the screens in the blockbuster movie "Ali". It's strong! It's long! It floats and it gloats! And just like "the man" himself "Ali" is full of vim and vigour. Nothing [or to use boxing speak, "nuttin"] was spared in the quest to tell in part, the life story of Muhammad Ali and above all else there is a distinct ring of realism throughout its 150 minutes. This is a warts and all look at the life of a man who was arguably the greatest boxer of the 20th century. A man who went on to become a legend and to be loved by people all over the world irregardless of color, race or religion. That wasn't always the case. "Ali" reveals in graphic images just what "the champ" went through in his battle to be accepted for what he was. There is his stance on the Vietnam War. He taunts the press and authority with the line, "No Viet Cong ever called me nigger". It cost him a few years in the wilderness before he was able to get back in the ring again. There was his association with Malcom X and the group "Nation of Islam" who were seen as a threat to the nations security. Then there was his battle to be recognized no longer as Cassius Clay, but as Muhammad Ali. His loves are revealed. There is also that endearing relationship he had with sportscaster Howard Cosell, the man whose name always brings a smile to Ali's face. Then there are the fight scenes, meticulously reconstructed and taking days to shoot. Finally it's all down to that rumble in the jungle. The stuff that legends are made of when Ali fought George Foreman in Zaire. This scene alone had 2000 paid extra's and 20000 volunteer extra's. What a rumble it turns out to be. The atmosphere is electric!

Director Michael Mann has completed a long journey that started some 10 years ago when Oliver Stone first raised with Muhammad Ali the prospect of making a film on Ali's life. Wil Smith has said on many occassions, pressing the point, "I didn't want to be the dude that messed up the Muhammad Ali story" but the man himself had faith in Smith saying "He's the only man in the world who would look like me and act like me." One big concern for the Ali family was how the film would be perceived. Ali wasn't worried about not having a black person in the directors seat, after all "The people that made the movie, I know their qualified. I don't care what color they are." They were worried that the film may have ended up as a sentimental look at Ali's life, a tear jerker. "Muhammad didn't want it to be a movie just for black audiences. He wanted it to be a movie for all cultures and all people." In a country where sporting heroes are revered, where Muhammad Ali is a much loved person, it will be interesting to see how Australian audiences take to "Ali" the movie. I hope that they take to it fervently and in droves, truly appreciating the huge effort that has gone into recreating both an important life and a piece of history which truly could bear the name "Lord of the Ring".

The Story "Ali" takes us back in a journey through a period in the life of a man who is probably the greatest sporting hero of the 20th century and a face recognized anywhere in the world, Muhammad Ali. It starts with a brash young man, Cassius Clay. It chronicles those early years right through to 1974 and that famous rumble in the jungle with vim, vigour and vitality. "Ali" takes us places many have never been. His convesion to Islam, his love life, his battle with boxing authorities and his stand against having to serve during the Vietnam conflict. The fight segments are certainly well done and appear for all intent and purpose to be just like the real thing. There are two standout performances in "Ali". Above all others is that of the easily recognizable Wil Smith in the lead role of Muhammad Ali. It's a role that is one of great accomplishment and Smith is good, very good. At every opportunity "the man" himself has stated the obvious about this young man. The other is the unrecognizable Jon Voight who plays the much revered sportscaster Howard Cosell. That both have been nominated for this years Academy Awards speaks well of their performances. "Ali" is an opportunity of a life time for those who have seen "the man" but weren't fortunate enough to have lived in this historic period. It may not have been a pretty period in mankinds history but there sure were some grand moments. "Ali" provides a look at some of these magical moments with a quiet truth that is refreshing. "Ali" is highly recommended viewing.

The Verdict "Honest, refreshing look at the life of a true sporting giant. "Ali" has all the ingredients to succeed and the longer it goes, the more believable Smith becomes in the role of Muhammad Ali. And those fight scenes? Well they are sensational. You can just about feel every bone crunching blow. The finale` set in Zaire is so real it will send a chiver down your spine. "Ali" floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, just like "the man" himself!"

What The Critics Say

"Smith makes contact with enough of Ali's swagger, sweetness, wit, and pride to convince us that justice is being done to the boxing champion."
Jay Carr BOSTON GLOBE
"ALI is an impressive documentation of a man and an era."
Matt Easterbrook MATT'S MOVIE REVIEWS
"Ali is played brilliantly by Will Smith."
Jack Garner ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
"Smith inhabits Ali -- his power, grace, ego, humor and body language, inside and outside the ring -- as well as any actor could."
Rob Blackwelder SPLICEDWIRE
"It's stirring to be reminded of what a glorious and galvanizing figure Ali was."
Eric Harrison HOUSTON CHRONICLE
"Filled with vivid cameos and set to an infectious soul beat that effectively covers the underlying hum of calculated precision."
J Hoberman VILLAGE VOICE
"If Michael Mann's new biopic of Muhammad Ali is not right up there with the gold standard of boxing biographies, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro's Raging Bull, it misses by only a whisker."
Bob Graham SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Not the greatest, but awfully darn good."
Robert W Butler KANSAS CITY STAR
"An exhilarating travelogue through 10 of the most turbulent years of American history, with a rivetingly magnetic personality as its focus."
William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
"Even though the movie is too long and suffers from an inconsistent tone, the narrative is compelling, as are the performances."
James Berardinelli JAMES BERARDINELLI'S REELVIEWS
"Raging Bull is artistically superior, but the fight scenes in Ali are just as visceral and more technically accomplished."
Duane Dudek MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

Cast Footnotes

Born Willard Christopher Smith Jr on the 25th of September 1968 in Pennsylvania USA. Television fans will remember him in the series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" which ran from 1990-1996. Others will remember him as the star of "Men in Black" or from these films, "Independence Day", "Enemy of the State","Wild Wild West", "The Legend of Bagger Vance" or "Bad Boys".
Film Earnings
Men in Black 2 [2002] $US20,000,000
Ali [2001] $US20,000,000
Enemy of the State [1998] $US14,000,000
Men in Black [1997] $US5,000,000

The Cast

Will Smith
Jamie Foxx
Jon Voight
Mario Van Peebles
Ron Silver
Jeffrey Wright
Mykelti Williamson
Jada Pinkett Smith
Nona M Gaye
Michael Michele
Joe Morton
Paul Rodriguez
Barry Shabaka Henley
Giancarlo Esposito
Laurence Mason

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Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali
Drew 'Bundini' Brown
Howard Cosell
Malcolm X
Angelo Dundee
Howard Bingham
Don King
Sonji
Belinda
Veronica
Chauncy Eskridge
Dr Ferdie Pacheco
Herbert Muhammad
Cassius Clay Sr
Luis Sarria