- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
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- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
ALI
"I Am The Greatest"
I have so much to talk about in this review
ranging from my personal feelings for the man
known as Muhammed Ali, to the this amazing movie
that gives justice to his name, to the lackluster
devotion that Columbia gave to this DVD. Stay
tuned and read it all, because this is one of the
most personal reviews I will ever write.
Muhammed Ali is one of my heroes. If you ever
have the opportunity to step into my office you
will see framed autographed pictures of him lining
my walls. A red Everlast boxing glove with his
autograph sits atop my desk. I adore the man
because he truly was "the people's champ". He
made his life what HE wanted it to be -- not what
people around him expected him to be. He had
charisma like no other boxer before or after him.
And though he talked louder and bolder than everyone
around him, he backed up his words with action. He
is truly one of the greatest Americans that ever lived.
When I had first heard that Columbia Pictures
was signing Will Smith to portray the
greatest sports hero ever, I was greatly concerned.
I never liked Will Smith. I always thought of
him as an untalented and cocky comic that was
suited for sitcoms and silly alien movies. I was
also concerned about Jon Voight being signed
to play Howard Cosell. It just didn't make sense.
For that reason, despite all the critic hoopla
and Academy Award nominations, I stayed clear of
this film during its theatrical release.
I can only sum up what I have just seen these
past 157 minutes by saying that Ali is a
landmark film so wonderfully acted, so beautifully
made, that it rises as a rousing tribute to one the
most notable figures of our lifetime. It's a
three-hour epic blockbuster that will knock your
socks off -- and even those with a shorter attention
span.
From the very opening moments of the film, as
the voice of Sam Cooke rises above a roaring
crowd, you know this film is going to be special.
The year is 1964, and a young Cassius Clay (Will
Smith) is dressed in hooded sweats as he jogs
past cops who wonder what he's running from.
Cooke's music elevates as Cassius trains hard,
heeding the words of Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles)
who preaches to blacks that times will never get
better unless they make them better. It is a
stylish montage title sequence that sets
Ali into fast gear.
The film wastes no time to move Cassius Clay's
life along. Within the first 10 minutes he barges
in on Heavyweight champ Sonny Liston calling him
a chump and spewing out his infamous "float like
a butterfly, sting like a bee". It's this quick
wit and self confidence that already makes Ali a
champ even before he steps in the ring.
It is at this moment that we meet Howard Cosell,
perfectly personified by Jon Voight. You would
never believe that Voight resides beneath all that
believable prosthetic. Voight gives realistic
dignity to the man without resorting to impersonation.
Cosell takes a personal interest in the rising
boxer, as plenty of screen time gets devoted to
their playfully savage verbal sparring. One thing
I never knew before watching this movie was how
much friendship and love Cosell and Ali had for
each other and I am glad this film touched upon
that relationship.
Without much time to take a breather, we find
ourselves immersed in the 1964 heavyweight match
with Sonny Liston. Director Michael Mann's
signature directorial style shines through as he
takes his time staging the many fight sequences,
using steadycam shots and slow-motion to artistically
make the audience feel the pain inside the ring.
The film moves at a nice pace, covering Cassius's
friendship with Malcolm X, his devotion to the
nation of Islam, and the changing of his name to
Muhammad Ali. Ali is very careful not to
over idolize its subject matter. All of Ali's
downfalls are portrayed in this film, from his
dodging the draft board to his womanizing and
failed marriages.
Though the story does move quickly and thus
glosses over some of the intricate detail of
Ali's life, it does manage to capture the
spirit of the man from his rooted days in the
South to his legendary 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle"
fight against George Foreman, where Ali held
himself in the ropes to wear out a man that
people thought impossible to beat.
How is the transfer?
Columbia has given us another exceptional
16X9 enhanced widescreen (2.35:1) transfer
that comes close to perfection. The movie
retains a very natural and subdued color
palette. There is really no emphasis put on
color until we enter the boxing arena, where
we are treated to the brilliant reds of boxing
gloves and shorts. The transfer is richly
detailed without a hint of video noise.
The 5.1 Dolby Surround Mix is sparingly taken
advantage of, but when used, it sounds quite
incredible. You'll immediately hear the rears
come alive in the opening moments of the film
with the cheers of a crowd behind you and the
sounds of Sam Cooke up front. Another impressive
scene comes upon Ali's arrival in Zaire, as the
sound of people chanting "Ali Bumaye" envelopes
the entire sound field. Of course, the action
sequences inside the ring become the most sonicaly
pleasing, and I promise you that you will feel
every single punch that is thrown. I was very
pleased by the level of LFE activity as the music
score was accented with an underlined rumble
from my SV Subwoofer.
Special Features
There are none.
The only thing we get on this disc is the
Original Theatrical Trailer, a trailer
for Men In Black, and a fairly recent
trailer for Spiderman.
Which leads me to this Special Added Feature
of my reviews....
The injustice done to this DVD
Ali was the most talked about film
of 2001. It garnered an abundant amount of
critical acclaim and award nominations.
Columbia knew what they had on their hands
for all of last year, and put absolutely no
preparation into putting out a quality Special
Edition that gives justice to the film.
This is essentially a bare-boned release.
This leads me to asking, okay, if you are
going to put out a bare-boned released now
with unknown unannounced plans for a Special
Edition in the future, why didn't you make
this a Superbit title?
There is no doubt that Ali would have
been greatly enhanced with a DTS soundtrack
that could have been easily placed on this DVD
given the fact that absolutely no extra bandwidth
is being taken up by added material.
This is just one of those very sad instances
where the impatient public is going to buy a
DVD that is completely bare-boned knowing that
a more elaborate Special Edition could be more
than a year away.
Why couldn't Columbia put together even a
halfway decent DVD release from the getgo?
Final Thoughts
Though some critics felt that Ali too
quickly glosses over the life of a legend only
making a footnote of some of his flaws, I was
consumed by the spirit of the man that this film
brought to my heart. In the end, what sticks with me
the most, is Ali running symbolically through the
streets of Zaire with a bunch of poor kids
in tow screaming, “Ali Bumaye!”
This is the most incredible film I have seen
this year. Though I hate to recommend a shoddy
DVD release, the film alone is the reason for
its purchase. This is one of those rare moments
when you shouldn't treat watching a DVD like it's
a night home with a movie, but rather as an event.
Let me publicly apologize to Will Smith. You
have forever earned my respect.
Release Date: April 30, 2002
