Rakesh's movie talk
Ali (2001)













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Directed by Michael Mann
Starring: Will Smith, John Voight, Mario Van Peebles and Jamie Foxx
















ali.jpg

I will have to warn you that I am going to be a bit biased on the following review, simply because it is directed by Michael Mann, a director I have grown to like after Heat and The Insider.

Without the Mann's touch, Ali, being a biography of one of the world's greatest boxer, Muhammad Ali, would have been simply a dreadful meandering blob, a wannabe epic, and worse, another Rocky! Mann brings his trademark cinematography (plenty of work with focus and experiments with film stocks) and makes it watchable.

I had a full-blown epic in my mind before seeing this film. But like The Insiders, the film peers into an episode of the protagonist's life. The whistle-blowing incident in Jeffrey Wigand's life was THE story of The Insider. It made a compelling, suspense filled film that explored the human psyche like no others (okay, I am exaggerating). Likewise, Ali explores Muhammad Ali's life from the moment he grabbed the Heavyweight champion title for the first time, losing it unfairly, and up to the moment he wins it again. It spans ten years time and plenty of things happen, and those are the fillers that move this movie.

We get to see Ali, his involvement with women, Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, the government and friendship with his team, and Howard Cosell, the then famous sportscaster of ABC Wide World of Sport. The screentime for each episode is sometimes uneven and left hanging thanks largely to extensive ones involving the boxing itself. The boxing scenes lost an audience in me. I was only watching Ali, not the boxing. Maybe Mann's direction and intention has something to do with it. Probably he is conscious of the fact that boxing scenes are never, and will never be as spectacular as Scorcese's Raging Bull. Here we are often looking over Ali's shoulder. We are spectators whose view is on him, not the match and lets not even talk about his opponent.

That brings us to the performance. Will Smith plays Ali as serious as one would in approaching a fictional movie about a troubled boxer. There is absolutely nothing in Smith that reminds us of the real McCoy. Again, it could be intentional. Mann wants us to watch a movie, not a documentary. If so, then Smith deserves the nomination. He is best when depicting Ali's sense of humour, comedy being Smith's forte. So is John Voight, who is absolutely unrecognisable with that makeup that makes him look almost like the real Cosell.

Two more actors who surprised me were Jamie Foxx and Mario van Peebles. Foxx was one of original comedians in The Living Colour TV series (that boasted talents like the Wayan brothers and Jim Carrey). He later found bits and scraps part in other film and landed a big one in Oliver Stones Any Given Sunday. Here, he re-emerged as very good character actor, playing Alis self-destructive trainer Drew 'Bundini' Brown. They should have nominated him. Then, there is Peebles, who is one of the top stars of B-Grade action films. Here he plays Malcolm X, as effective as an old pro. Hopefully, he will get better role in better films in the future.

The real hero of this film is the cinematography. At times it looks pretentious, that was who Ali was, flamboyant and fun. It is also insightful and reflective of the mind of this great boxer. I liked the movie, overall, but I don't think I will watch it again in the near future. Probably after a few years, and then I will know how this movie holds up.

Note: Released now, the movie might find the audience in America. The treatment of Muslims in America and the outlook, which is reflected in this film, can no longer be ignored, especially after September 11 incident.