| Ali |  | Actors: Will Smith, Candy Ann Brown, LeVar Burton, David Cubitt, Victoria Dillard
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy Used: $0.24
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Rating:  169 reviews
Sales Rank: 16,688
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Region: 99
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Running Time: 157 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: TM2506
ISBN: 076786977X
UPC: 043396066892
EAN: 9780767869775
ASIN: B00005JKMQ
Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Release Date: April 30, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African American's in sport with his proud public self confidence with 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 favour of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with 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 an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his 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 great sports figures of all time.
Amazon.com essential video
Ali is a rush of charm, violence, and well-crafted mythmaking sure to enthrall. From the unforgettable surge of the opening--a 10-minute montage of sheer brilliance where formative scenes from the early life of Cassius Clay float along on the rapture of a live performance by Sam Cooke in a Harlem nightclub--through to Muhammad Ali's departure for Zaire to fight George Foreman, Michael Mann's homage is mostly crisp and fleet-footed. As Clay/Ali, Will Smith acquits himself marvelously due in large part to his uncanny re-creation of Ali's most famous weapon, his mesmerizing voice. Indeed, the best scenes throughout showcase Ali's verbal rather than pugilistic sparring; whether with his entourage (notably Jamie Foxx), Howard Cosell (Jon Voight), or Don King (Mykelti Williamson), Michael Mann's Ali has the same authoritative wit and ability to surprise that so disarmed the public. The news conferences and behind-the-scenes banter are exquisitely re-created; not so Ali's flaws. Mann's attempt to depict Ali's womanizing, his dubious affiliation with the Nation of Islam, and his insatiable need for the spotlight seems halfhearted and laborious in comparison to the film's enlivened adoration of its subject. As the sluggish second half of the film betrays, Ali is at its impressionistic best when it's in awe rather than when it explains. --Fionn Meade
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 169
Take it on the chin... June 22, 2010
Andrew Ellington (I'm kind of everywhere)
I really wanted to LOVE this movie. Even all these years later, I felt the need to give it another try, hoping that I would fall in love with it. I have a fascination with boxing and biopics, and so this seemed to be right up my ally.
It wasn't.
I'll go ahead and get the good out of the way before I lay in to this film.
Will Smith is simply brilliant. The material may not always give him the best to work with (why is it that Smith's films constantly fail him?) but he really works magic with what he is given. From the mannerisms to the physicality to the voice to the sheer magnetic drive, Smith understands Ali and delivers a mesmerizing performance that never once feels like cheap mimicry. He is creating a character for us, despite the obvious `factual' draw. The rest of the cast is hit or miss (Voight is a miss, Foxx is a hit) but they don't really matter when you consider the fact that this is Smith's show. I also (somewhat) appreciate Michael Mann's direction here. There is a gritty realism that Mann brings to some of his films (`The Insider' is a perfect example of this), and he brings that here as well. I appreciate that Mann is NOT trying to be Oliver Stone (thankfully) but he does at times find himself hindered in areas that feel very much like Stone-failures here, but overall I think that his sharp direction (while no where near as polished as his work in `Heat' or even `Collateral') helps elevate `Ali' in areas where it certainly needs a boost.
And then, there is the bad.
Like I kind of already mentioned, Mann's direction is not without its flaws. I think it's more his vision than his actual direction, but he seems to get muddled in his own viewpoint. The film, at times, meanders around without any real solidified purpose. It just kind of hangs there. In fact, the film takes quite some time even to start establishing character, which was a poor decision, and then when it does attempt to build on WHO and WHAT Ali was, it can get a little uneven and lazy. What I love so much about biopics is that they can really flesh out the soul of someone you admire or at least harbor some interest in, but `Ali' comes off a tad scattered and unfocused to really do that.
In the end, `Ali' fails to really live up to the name. It needed a sharper edit and a tighter script to deliver a swifter punch in order to make it really do the subject justice. Smith is simply marvelous, and so one should see it for his engrossing performance, but don't expect this to deliver in a totally fulfilling sense.
 Dawn's Ali review May 23, 2010
D. Knox (Colorado Springs, CO)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Movie was good. Will Smith did a pretty good portrayal of Muhammed Ali. However, he didn't walk like Ali. He should have been taught the way Ali walked. But that aside, I still enjoyed the movie. Thank you.
Ali January 6, 2010
Arnita D. Brown (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The life story of heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, following the champ's early days as Cassius Clay and his rise in sports and politics, including his controversial refusal to fight in the Vietnam War and his infamous comeback battles against Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Smith gives a towering performance, defiantly funny and impassioned. This movie is a winning TKO.
blu friggin ray!!! December 14, 2009
S. joseph (Socal, Kalipornia)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
When is ALI coming out in BluRay?!?!?! why is it taking so friggin long? older movies in the 50's have been out on bluray but not ALI. This is racism!!! LOL j/k
 Amazing record of Ali's life August 6, 2009
Osvaldo M. Sanches (Brasilia, BRAZIL)
Liked it very much. The movie instigate me to do additional research about Ali's life and people around him, in special,
Malcon X. I have being suggesting it for many friends.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 169
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