Ali

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The Michael Mann directed and Will Smith starring biopic 'Ali' sat near the top of my list of the most eagerly awaited films of 2001. I had thoroughly enjoyed 'Heat' and thought Mann's 'The Last Mohicans' and the Russell-Crowe-starrer 'The Insider' were incredible. Mann is not afraid of putting together a film that is long and very informative and his talents seemed well suited to creating a film about one of the most dynamic personalities in sports history, Muhammad Ali. 'Ali' was a costly production and was budgeted at a reported $107 million. Pitted against the epic 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' and 'Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,' 'Ali' faced two tough opponents in one arena and went down swinging. The film went on to gross around $60 million domestically. I had eagerly awaited the tale of Cassius Clay but was one of many to place it second behind the Peter Jackson tale of Hobbits and Rings.

The film's disappointing gross is not just because of its opening time slot and the $300+ million grossing first part of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Mann's final work is masterful and entertaining. It is powerful and informative at times. However, at other times, the pacing is near horrendous, and sometimes there just wasn't enough time to describe what was going on in the film. Thus, the audience is left bored and confused. The picture takes place during a ten-year period between 1964 and 1974. A lot of the focus is on the Islam involvement, his connection with Malcolm X, and his decision to not take part in the Vietnam War. Many of these details and Ali's motivations are left without mention. We know that he is friends with Malcolm X, but his beliefs are never discussed in any detail. It is not hard to be left scratching your head and questioning the purpose of what is happening on-screen.

The film's pace does not always suffer. The fight sequences and moments leading to the fights are awe-inspiring. Mann has taken a more stylistic approach to the choreography of the fights. Harsher angles and varied looks are used to describe the intensity of the fight. This is where Will Smith's new physique really comes into play. The sights and sounds of the fights are masterfully recreated and the disc technically shines at these moments. Ali's interactions with Lister, Foreman and Cosell (Jon Voight) are easily the most humorous and entertaining. These are placed as bookends of the fight sequences. During these times, the performances of Smith and Jon Voight shine. The actors are no longer themselves and it is hard to not think you are looking at the actual people in a biography. I really thought Voight and Smith deserved Oscars for their work. They were both impressive and champions in their own right.

Malcolm X and Ali's fights are not the only topics of discussion in Mann's biopic. A lot of time is dedicated to Ali's women. He went through a handful of wives in his time and is depicted as having a strong weakness in the opposite sex. A few warm moments are shared between Smith and the actresses portraying Muhammad Ali's various romances. These scenes add considerable length to the film, but offer a different glimpse of the champion. One failure of the film is that it does not strive to tell anything that is not commonly known, and the failures and successes of Ali's romantic life do offer something more than fights, draft dodging and black supremacy.

Michael Mann put together a very good film. However, it is not a film that appeals to the masses and the nature of some its scenes nearly bring the film to a halt and can make sitting in a dark room at night difficult to do without nodding off. Mann painted a good picture of Ali and did so with incredible performances by the two stars. I really did like the film, but like a long documentary, find it hard to easily sit through in one sitting. That's the beauty of DVD though, you ca pause the film and resume it at any time. Those looking for an action packed film on Ali's boxing exploits or a piece of information on the champ that is groundbreaking will walk away partly disappointed. This is a very good film, but Mann missed the knockout punch. What that punch could have been, I am not sure.

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