When We Were Kings

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When We Were Kings

PG

Released Feb 14, 1997

1h 24m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

51 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

On October 30, 1974, perhaps the most famous heavyweight championship boxing match of all time took place in Kinshasa, Zaire: the "Rumble in the Jungle" between champion George Foreman and challenger Muhammad Ali. In historical footage and new interviews, this documentary explores the relationship between African-Americans and the African continent during the Black Power era in terms of both popular culture and international politics, including the brutality of then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

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Critics Consensus

An engrossing documentary that's as much about a time and a place as it is about a fight.

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Reece Pendleton

Chicago Reader

Gast does a nice job of building the suspense leading up to the fight, fleshing out the story with some good color commentary...

Rated: 3/4

Jun 15, 2022

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David Ansen

Newsweek

Both a tribute to Ali and an evocation of a bygone era, it's about the transformative moment when black America, flexing its newborn pride, encountered black Africa.

Mar 2, 2018

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Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A

Sep 7, 2011

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Graeme Tuckett

Stuff.co.nz

When We Were Kings as not just one of the greatest sports documentaries of all time, but also one of the greatest concert movies.

Dec 29, 2021

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

At the time, it was a given that Foreman was going to slaughter Ali in the ring; the beauty of this movie is that it shows in amazing detail the process through which Ali stepped up to the challenge and succeeded against all expectations.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 27, 2019

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Renee Schonfeld

Common Sense Media

Thrilling boxing docu covers race, politics; some profanity.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 28, 2016

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Dallas H

This movie is the kind of sports coverage we take for granted today. It took the filmmakers about twenty years to gather the footage to make the documentary. These days, we have so many video cameras constantly recording content and the convenience of the internet and media distribution. With all that accessible content today, somebody could produce a sports documentary in a few months.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/21/24

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Audience Member

This is a perfect documentary film. A brilliant masterpiece. As a fan of Muhammad Ali, this film was a pleasure to watch over and over and over again. You don’t have to be a fan of Ali, Foreman or boxing to thoroughly enjoy this story of triumph. A true ‘David vs. Goliath’ story that takes place in Africa. The scenes with James Brown & Miles Davis were also beautiful to see. A must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/24

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Jay C

This Documentary is the Greatest!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/29/23

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Chief B

Beautiful!! RIP Muhammad Ali the real life superhero

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/16/23

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Diane B

What a wit! So fit! When I was a little kid, I remember two times my dad called us to gather on the couch in front of the TV. One was for Elvis in Hawaii. The other was for the Ali-Foreman bout. The price Ali paid to stand by his beliefs. The incredible drive and charisma and curiosity and wisdom. It all comes through here ... and the Foreman you see in this film bears no resemblance to the cheerful guy hawking grills in K-mart. He looks like he wants to murder Ali through the film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/22

Full Review

dave s

To be clear, you do not need to be a boxing fan to enjoy Leon Gast's documentary When We Were Kings. The primary focus of the film is the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle' heavyweight title fight between the confident and charismatic Muhammad Ali and the morose, powerful George Foreman, but the movie is about so much more, including concert footage of James Brown, B.B. King and The Spinners. In addition, When We Were Kings touches on the tyranny of Zaire's (the location of the film) President Mobutu, mysticism, social injustice, and the healing power of music. The documentary also includes insightful commentaries by Norman Mailer and George Plimpton, who were covering the fight as journalists, as well as a few words from Spike Lee. And, for boxing fans, the fight coverage is fantastic. Beautifully paced and shrewdly edited, there is never a dull moment.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Leon Gast

Director

Muhammad Ali

Actor

George Foreman

Actor

Don King

Actor

B.B. King

Actor

Mobutu Sese Seko

Actor

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Synopsis

On October 30, 1974, perhaps the most famous heavyweight championship boxing match of all time took place in Kinshasa, Zaire: the "Rumble in the Jungle" between champion George Foreman and challenger Muhammad Ali. In historical footage and new interviews, this documentary explores the relationship between African-Americans and the African continent during the Black Power era in terms of both popular culture and international politics, including the brutality of then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

Director: Leon Gast
Producer: Taylor Hackford, Leon Gast
Distributor: Gramercy Pictures, Polygram, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 14, 1997, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 14, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.7M
Runtime: 1h 24m

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