Ali (film)

Ali
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Mann
Produced by	Michael Mann Jon Peters James Lassiter Paul Ardaji A. Kitman Ho
Written by	Michael Mann Eric Roth Stephen J. Rivele Christopher Wilkinson
Starring	Will Smith Jamie Foxx Jon Voight Mario Van Peebles Ron Silver Jeffrey Wright Mykelti Williamson Jada Pinkett Smith
Music by	Pieter Bourke Lisa Gerrard
Cinematography	Emmanuel Lubezki
Editing by	William Goldenberg Lynzee Klingman Stephen E. Rivkin Stuart Waks
Studio	Peters Entertainment Forward Pass Overbrook Films
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures (USA) Initial Entertainment Group (non-USA)
Release date(s)	December 11, 2001 (2001-12-11) (United Kingdom) December 25, 2001 (2001-12-25) (United States)
Running time	157 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$107 million
Box office	$87,713,825

Ali is a 2001 American biographical film directed by Michael Mann. The film tells the story of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974 featuring his capture of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston (Michael Bentt), his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, banishment from boxing, his return to fight Joe Frazier (James Toney) in 1971, and, lastly, his reclaiming the title from George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974. It also discusses the great social and political upheaval in the United States following the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Plot

In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, Cassius Clay, explodes onto the scene, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his annoying arrogance and his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favor of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test when the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in what he believed was an unjust war for a racist nation that treated its people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the greatest sports figures of all time.

Production

The movie was written by Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Eric Roth and Michael Mann. The original script by Wilkinson and Rivele was modified by Roth and Mann.

Will Smith spent approximately one year learning all aspects of Ali's life. These included boxing training (up to seven hours a day), Islamic studies and dialect training. Smith has said that his portrayal of Ali is his proudest work to date.

One of the selling points of the film is the realism of the fight scenes. Smith worked alongside boxing promoter Guy Sharpe from SharpeShooter Entertainment and his lead fighter Ross Kent to get the majority of his boxing tips for the film. All of the boxers in the film are in fact former or current world heavyweight championship caliber boxers. It was quickly decided that 'Hollywood fighting'—passing the fist (or foot) between the camera and the face to create the illusion of a hit—would not be used in favor of actual boxing. The only limitation placed upon the fighters was for Charles Shufford (who plays George Foreman). He was permitted to hit Will Smith as hard as he could, so long as he did not actually knock the actor out.

Smith had to gain a significant amount of weight to look the part of Muhammad Ali.

Cast

• Will Smith as Cassius Clay, Jr. / Cassius X / Muhammad Ali
• Jamie Foxx as Drew Bundini Brown
• Jon Voight as Howard Cosell
• Mario Van Peebles as Malcolm X
• Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee
• Jeffrey Wright as Howard Bingham
• Mykelti Williamson as Don King
• Jada Pinkett Smith as Sonji Roi
• Nona Gaye as Belinda/Khalilah Ali
• Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston
• Michael Michele as Veronica Porsche Ali
• Joe Morton as Chauncey Eskridge
• Paul Rodriguez as Dr. Ferdie Pacheco
• Bruce McGill as Bradley
• Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad
• James Toney as Joe Frazier
• Giancarlo Esposito as Cassius Clay, Sr.
• Laurence Mason as Luis Sarria
• LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Albert Hall as Elijah Muhammad
• David Cubitt as Robert Lipsyte
• Charles Shufford as George Foreman
• Robert Sale as Jerry Quarry
• Candy Ann Brown as Odessa
• David Haines as Rudy Clay / Rahaman Ali
• Leon Robinson as Joe Smiley
• David Elliott as Sam Cooke
• Shari Watson as Singer
• Malick Bowers as Joseph Mobutu
• Zaa Nkweta as Foreman Fight Announcer
• Brandon T. Jackson as Club Goer (uncredited)

Reception

Ali opened on December 25, 2001 and grossed a total of $14.7 million in 2,446 theaters on its opening weekend. The film went on to gross a total of $87.7 million worldwide. The film holds a 67% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

The film had generally favorable reviews with the acting being well received by critics in general. Roger Ebert derided the film with two stars in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times, and mentioned, "it lacks much of the flash, fire and humor of Muhammad Ali and is shot more in the tone of a eulogy than a celebration". In Variety magazine, Todd McCarthy wrote, "The director's visual and aural dapplings are strikingly effective at their best, but over the long haul don't represent a satisfactory alternative to in-depth dramatic scenes; one longs, for example, for even one sequence in which Ali and Dundee discuss boxing strategy or assess an opponent", but did have praise for the performances: "The cast is outstanding, from Smith, who carries the picture with consummate skill, and Voight, who is unrecognizable under all the makeup but nails Cosell's distinctive vocal cadences". USA Today gave the film two and half stars out of four and claimed that, "for many Ali fans, the movie may be good enough, but some perspective is in order. The documentaries a.k.a. Cassius Clay and the Oscar-winning When We Were Kings cover a lot of the same ground and are consistently more engaging".

In The New York Times, Elvis Mitchell proclaimed Ali to be a "breakthrough" film for Mann, that it was his "first movie with feeling" and that "his overwhelming love of its subject will turn audiences into exuberant, thrilled fight crowds". J. Hoberman, in his review for the Village Voice, felt that the "first half percolates wonderfully — and the first half hour is even better than that. Mann opens with a thrilling montage that, spinning in and out of a nightclub performance by Sam Cooke, contextualizes the hero in his times", concluded that, "Ali's astonishing personality is skillfully evoked but, in the end, remains a mystery".

Awards

List of awards and nominations

Award Category Name Outcome 74th Academy Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Will Smith Nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role Jon Voight Nominated Black Reel Awards of 2001 Best Supporting Actor Jamie Foxx Won Best Supporting Actress Nona Gaye Won Best Original Soundtrack Won Best Actor Will Smith Won Best Song From a Film R. Kelly - "The World's Greatest" Won Best Screenplay, Adapted or Original Gregory Allen Howard Won Best Film Won Best Film Poster Won Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2001 Best Actor Will Smith Won Best Supporting Actor Jon Voight Won Best Picture Won Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2001 Best Supporting Actor Jon Voight Won ESPY Awards Best Sports Movie ESPY Award Won 59th Golden Globe Awards Best Original Score Lisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke Nominated Best Actor: Drama Will Smith Nominated Best Supporting Actor Jon Voight Nominated Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing - Music Kenneth Karman, Lisa Jaime, Vicki Hiatt, Stephanie Lowry, Christine H. Luethje Nominated Golden Trailer Awards Best Drama Won 2002 MTV Movie Awards Best Male Performance Will Smith Won NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Won Outstanding Supporting Actor Jamie Foxx Won Mario Van Peebles Nominated Outstanding Actor Will Smith Won Outstanding Supporting Actress Jada Pinkett Smith Nominated Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Editing William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman, Stephen E. Rivkin, Stuart Waks Won PRISM Awards Theatrical Feature Film Won

Home release

After the theatrical version (157 min.) was released on DVD, Mann revisited his film again with a new cut (165 min.). He took out approximately 20 minutes of footage and put 30 minutes of previously unseen footage back in.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• Ali at the Internet Movie Database
• Ali at AllRovi
• Ali at Box Office Mojo
• Ali at Rotten Tomatoes
• Excerpts from production notes
• Senses of Cinema review
• "Michael Mann and Will Smith in the Ring With Ali" New York Times article
• An interview with the film's cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki