Product Key Features
Film/TV TitleAli
ActorMykelti Williamson, Mario Van Peebles, Giancarlo Esposito, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, Nona Gaye, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jon Voight, Ron Silver
DirectorMichael Mann
FormatDVD
LanguageEnglish
Release Year2002
FeaturesFeaturettes - 1. HBO Making Of special\2. Behind-the-Scenes\Audio Commentary - Cast & Crew Audio Clips\Trailer - Original Theatrical Trailer, Widescreen
Aspect RatioAnamorphic Wide Screen
Run Time156 Mins
GenreGeneral, Action & Adventure
Additional Product Features
Certificate15
Number of Discs2
Director of PhotographyEmmanuel Lubezki
ReviewsVariety - ...[The film] possesses an informed, intelligent perspective..., Total Film - ...Smith has nailed the voice, the charm, the body language -- he has, in short, become Ali as much as any actor possibly could..., Rolling Stone - ...Smith gives a towering performance, defiantly funny and impassioned....Mann and Smith deliver this powerhouse with the urgency of a champ's left hook..., Box Office - ...Smith is undeniably excellent in the role, capturing the essence of Ali's character....Other supporting performers are equally convincing..., Entertainment Weekly - ...Dazzling....As Ali, Will Smith undergoes the kind of astonishing self-transformation that makes you blink, then stare..., New York Times - ...ALI is a breakthrough for director Michael Mann....His overwhelming love of its subject will turn audiences into exuberant, thrilled fight crowds...
AuthorGregory Allen Howard
Additional InformationMichael Mann's ALI manages to be an informative look at the career of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and an entertaining and moving portrait of the man. The action begins with the brash young Cassius Clay's surprising victory over Sonny Liston. The film depicts Clay's conversion to Islam, his partnership with "Bundini" Brown (Jamie Foxx in a wonderfully complex turn), his friendship with Howard Cosell (a transformed Jon Voight), his principled refusal to serve in the military during Vietnam, and his subsequent problems with the law and the boxing commission. The film concludes with Ali's battle with George Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle."<BR>Will Smith delivers a worthy performance, transforming his body, face, and voice to capture the spirit of the charismatic fighter. The work of the supporting cast is superb, including Smith's real-life wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Marvin Gaye's daughter, Nona Gaye, as the women in Ali's life. Mann brings the viewer in close to the boxing action, effectively depicting Ali's unique grace and quickness, and the violent frenzy of the sport. The film shows the familiar public figure of fights and press conferences, and also gives a glimpse of the quiet, thoughtful private life of Ali.
Movie/TV TitleAli
ComposerLisa Gerrard, Pieter Bourke
Sound sourceDolby Digital 5.1\DTS 5.1
ScreenwriterEric Roth, Christopher Wilkinson, Michael Mann, Stephen J. Rivele