Ali

Ali videos

Cast & Crew

Will Smith

Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali

Jamie Foxx

Drew "Bundini" Brown

Jon Voight

Howard Cosell

Mario Van Peebles

Malcolm X

Ron Silver

Angelo Dundee

Jeffrey Wright

Howard Bingham

Mykelti Williamson

Don King

Jada Pinkett Smith

Sonji

Michael Michele

Veronica

Joe Morton

Chauncy Eskridge

Paul Rodriguez

Dr. Ferdie Pacheco

Bruce McGill

Bradley

Barry Shabaka Henley

Herbert Muhammad

Giancarlo Esposito

Cassius Clay, Sr.

Laurence Mason

Luis Sarria

LeVar Burton

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Albert Hall

Elijah Muhammad

David Cubitt

Robert Lipsyte

Ted Levine

Joe Smiley

David Elliott

Sam Cooke

Michael Mann

Director

Stephen J. Rivele

Screenwriter

Christopher Wilkinson

Screenwriter

Eric Roth

Screenwriter

Michael Mann

Screenwriter

Gregory Allen Howard

Writer

A. Kitman Ho

Producer

Michael Mann

Producer

Paul Ardaji

Producer

Jon Peters

Producer

James Lassiter

Producer

Emmanuel Lubezki

Cinematographer

John Myhre

Production Design

William Goldenberg

Film Editing

Stephen Rivkin

Film Editing

Lynzee Klingman

Film Editing

Marlene Stewart

Costume Design

Howard Bingham

Executive Producer

Graham King

Executive Producer

Lisa Gerrard

Original Music

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Critic Reviews for Ali

Audience Reviews for Ali

• Jun 05, 2016

  Leave it to Michael Mann to craft such an audacious, offbeat, and occasionally frustrating portrayal of Muhammad Ali. I get why it has a reputation for mostly disappointing people but I like that the movie defies convention both in narrative and style. In regards to Smith, he's best when playing Ali's charismatic and transgressive public persona while he falls flat in scenes that require more nuance. With stronger central performance, this might have been a masterpiece.

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  Super Reviewer
• Aug 19, 2014

  This movie is probably Will smiths best movie. Will smith is a brilliant actor. He plays the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. I expected more of a boxing movie but it was more about religion and Alis life outside of boxing. Muhammad Ali was a Muslim and he worshiped Elijah Muhammad. Elijah Muhammad was the leader of nation of Islam, and Muhammad Ali wanted to spread hes message thru boxing. Muhammad Ali was a smart boxer, he made hes opponents angry before the match by teasing them and calling them names. This is a movie you probably have to see, probably one of my favorite movies. "Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. You're hands cant hit what you're eyes cant see" 4 Stars 4-7-14

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  Super Reviewer
• Nov 17, 2013

  Michael Mann's Ali is an average boxing film about the Muhammad Ali, one of the most famous boxers who has ever lived. Unfortunately, I felt that this film wasn't a testament to his career, and though good, it leaves a lot to be desired. Will Smith is pretty goods ion the lead role, and he departs from his usual action films by delivering a dramatic performance. However, this is not a standout feature like Scorsese's classic Raging Bull. Mann is able to craft some terrific films, however this is one of his weaker one. Considering the subject, you'd expect something truly great, but the end result is a film that has plenty of flaws. I liked it, but I felt that it could have been much better than what was filmed. Will Smith is for me, a decent actor, and with this film, was his first real dramatic role, as he was more of an action star in the first place. He would later make better dramatic films, but Ali leaves a lot to be desired, especially considering that the subject is about one of the most famous boxers in the history of the sport. This should have been much better and it is one of those films that never realizes its full potential. The script should have been reworked to make it a much better picture that told a truly engaging story. Ali is an average film that never really satisfies. I feel that the ultimate biopic on Muhammad Ali has yet to be made. Michael Mann has made better films, but as it is Ali is good, but is far from a great picture.

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  Super Reviewer
• Apr 20, 2012

  Ali-ali-oxen-free! Yeah, I know that was cheesy, but hey, it's no cheesier than Will Smith, who is actually supposed to be believed as one of the greatest, manliest champions in boxing history, and actually pulls it off. It's one of the only times he's ever been totally believable as a black man, so I guess it would seem as though Michael Mann whipped him into shape, which is to be expected, considering that his name is actually "Mann". Of course, he's still got Eric Roth at his back, pulling him back into the cheese zone, which, don't get me wrong, I don't mind too much, just as long as it gives Eric Roth some work, because the boy still knows how to whip up a sceenplay, but boy, does he get admittedly sappy at points. So, this is a Michael Mann film on one of the manliest men ever, but it stars a real cheeseball and is written by a big cheeseball, so I guess the man factor kind of cancels out. It's the most half-manly-half-cheesy film out there, or at least when you look at the components of the film, because when you look at the final product, oh man, is it mantastically manliness, manned by man-y a manly moment... man. Okay, maybe it's not that manly either, but it's still pretty cool, though not quite slick enough for its missteps to just slide off. I know that Eric Roth is "the" long script writer, even if that script is being touch by three other people (That should tell you how much I like him, considering that it's actually "Mann's" script, as well as that of two others), but really, this film wastes no time in wasting time, with the first 10 minutes being a montage set to soul music, and then we follow that up with that overlong slow-dance brawl between Ali and Liston, which, don't get me wrong, I understand is being portrayed like it really was, but come on people, tighten it up a bit. Well, I guess the film heard me when I said that, because after that first Ali/Liston brawl at the beginning, it dropped much of the looseness. However, the problem is that the film also drops much of the oomph that made those dragging moments still engaging in the process, and while the looseness of cut loose enough for you to not fall out of the film, because of the dilution of intrigue, the film just doesn't pack to hard of a punch for the longest time. It's never terribly slow to the point of being boring, but things do dry up awful fast and quite often, further plaguing a story already tainted by some degree of squandered potential in execusion. I'm not going to dwell on judging this film's portrayal of Muhammad Ali as much as other critics very much have, but this is a very worthy, very unique story that, contrary to the consensus' belief, could easily be done as well as you would hope, were in the hands of a great director, yet as things stand, while Michael Mann is perfectly competent, his interpretation of the legend is a smidge dry, a little bit underwhelming and - dare I say it - even rather generic, both as a boxing film and biopic. However, although the film doesn't land the hardest blow in the world, it definately hits just hard enough to hold your attention. It's not stellar, but it is certainly compelling, with resonance and intrigue when it needs it most, while the rest of the film still goes powered by, well, a fair deal of aspects, including style. Now, the film isn't nearly as stylized as other Michael Mann films, nor is its cinematography even all that impressive, but the film is still quite handsome and engaging in its subtle artistry that touches the film with much livliness, particularly during the boxing sequences, some of which do go on longer then they should, but are always engaging, with tension and flare intensified by the style, as well as some brilliant editing and sound design, making for boxing sequences that marry realism with drama in a mostly tight and thoroughly effective fashion. Still, the film's highest points are not at all the boxing sequences, because although the film isn't as consistent as it should be with emotional oomph, with some golden moments in soundtrack and powerfully meditative moments in atmosphere, there are genuine moments of resonance, whether it be during the fall segments of Ali's rise-and-fall story or even a certain event involving Malcolm X, which was treated immensely more respectfully and emotionally with Malcolm X as a come-and-go secondary character than Spike Lee treated it with Malcolm X as the center of an epic. Now, in all fairness, that's not saying much, considering that the way Spike Lee treated that major event at the end of "Malcolm X" was realistic, but pretty ridiculous when it hits you that you just sat through an almost three-and-a-half hour film, only for something that should have been emotional to come off as just plain pretty messed up; but eitherway, the point is that, while this film will laps in engaging resonance, it does pack moments of powerful intrigue and even emotion to break up the underoomph (Yeah, I made that word up, what of it?). Still, even when the film isn't delivering as thoroughly as it should, you're still kept going by, if nothing else, the charm, which may not be terribly faithful to Ali's charisma, but still wins you over, even during the less effective dramatic moments, which still have enough charisma to earn your investment and interest. Really, the film doesn't kill as a docudrama, but it has its moments while still being consistently fascinating, and for that, credit goes out to Eric Roth's charming scr-I mean, Michael Mann's, Steven J. Rivele's, Christopher Wilkinson's "and" Eric Roth's neat screenplay that goes executed decently enough by Mann, as director. Still, the real man that carries this film is, of course, Will Smith, who's recognizably as charming as always, only this time, he throws in a subtle touch that makes all the difference. Don't get me wrong, this is Will Smith, and you never forget that, but immediately, effortlessly and subtley, Smith does the amazing and transforms all but entirely, not necessarily into Muhammad Ali, but another man, all together, and while he isn't given enough material to top off that transformation with awesome slam-bang acting, he glows in certain parts, but never doesn't impress, embodying the unique charm, confidence and personality that made the legendary boxer who he is, as a fighter, an icon and a person, and watching Smith become that is an experience, in it of itself. At the sound of the bell, it's hard to not walk away a touch underwhelmed by a deal of slow spots and lack of oomph, made all the worse by a conventional tone and storytelling, yet the film battles on, powered by handsome style, as well as a fine screenplay and many a golden moment in genuine resonance - both during the action and in the sidelines -, which isn't to say that there's not still plenty of consistent charm, ameliorated by a strong, transformative performance by Will Smith, ultimately leaving "Ali" to stand as a rather improvable, but still thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating portrayal of the boxing legend to end all boxing legends at his lowest and highest. 3/5 - Good

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  cameron j Super Reviewer