Ali (film)
| Ali | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Mann |
| Produced by |
Jon Peters Michael Mann James Lassiter Paul Ardaji A. Kitman Ho |
| Screenplay by | Michael Mann Eric Roth Stephen J. Rivele Christopher Wilkinson |
| Story by | Gregory Allen Howard |
| Starring |
Will Smith Jamie Foxx Jon Voight Mario Van Peebles Ron Silver Jeffrey Wright Mykelti Williamson James Toney |
| Music by |
Pieter Bourke Lisa Gerrard |
| Cinematography | Emmanuel Lubezki |
| Edited by |
William Goldenberg Lynzee Klingman Stephen E. Rivkin Stuart Waks |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
Columbia Pictures (United States) 20th Century Fox (International) |
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Release date
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Running time
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157 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $107 million |
| Box office | $87.7 million |
Ali is a 2001 American biographical sports drama film written, produced and directed by Michael Mann. The film focuses on ten years in the life of the late boxer Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974, featuring his capture of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, and banishment from boxing, his return to fight Joe Frazier in 1971, and, finally, his reclaiming the title from George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle fight of 1974. It also touches on the great social and political upheaval in the United States following the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The film was well received by critics, but was a failure at the box office. Smith and Jon Voight received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
The film begins with Cassius Clay, Jr. before his championship debut against then heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. During the pre-fight weigh-in Clay heavily taunts Liston (such as calling Liston a "big ugly bear"). In the fight Clay is able to dominate the early rounds of the match, but halfway through he complains of a burning feeling in his eyes (implying that Liston has tried to cheat) and says he is unable to continue. However, his trainer/manager Angelo Dundee gets him to keep fighting. Once Clay is able to see again he easily dominates the fight and right before round seven Liston quits, making Clay the second youngest heavyweight champion at the time after Floyd Patterson. Clay spends valued time with Malcolm X and the two decide to take a trip to Africa.
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