Let's get ready to rumble!!!!!! (Ali (DVD))

Member Name: specco

Product:	Ali (DVD)
Date:	05/03/02 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great story, Excellent fight scenes, Brilliant acting

Disadvantages: Nearly 3 hours long

Ali is not only the world's most famous boxer or sports star, he is the most famous man in the world. It has been said in many publications around the world that if Ali went to any country at any time he would be recognised.

Many films have been made to compliment Ali's life as a boxer and political figure head in an American environment which can only be described as a powerless apartied regime. Ali himself appeared as himself in "The Greatest" so it wasn't a surprise that a blockbuster film would be made to celebrate the life of a man that touched so many people's hearts.

In my mind, Will Smith would not have been the person to play someone like Ali. After seeing this film, Will Smith has made me eat my words. Normally Will Smith plays characters that are funny and take everything as a joke. Ali is a funny man but he's got his serious side to him and Will Smith conveyed that to the screen very well. The accent, mannerism and fighting technique of Ali was well portrayed by Smith, in parts I did mistake Will Smith as the real Ali. Of all the films I have seen in the last year or so I think Will Smith deserves to get an Oscar for best actor on this performance alone.

The fight scenes of this film is superb. The choreography is spot on. The fighter moves and punches relate to the real fights exactly. I believe that if you were to get 2 TVs side by side and play the real fight on one and the acted fight on the other, the fights would syncronise exceptionally well. Obviously, with a film about fighting the viewer needs to feel the tension within the ring. This is done by heavy breathing and close up shots of important punches.

I have read many biographies about Ali and I have never really seen a film that backs up any of the books that I have read. This film comes closest though. Most of the other Ali films concentrate on all the good and wonderful things he did in life. But like all people, they have a
bad side to them, Ali is no different. This film showed a balanced story of his life. The good things, (Boxing acheivements and Political views) and the bad points, (Letting people take advantage of him and dis-respect for women.)

Overall this film is entertaining and funny and having prior knowledge to Ali's life, accurate. The film is almost 3 hours long which isn't a problem for me but I know a lot of people can't sit still for 3 hours let alone watch a film. It's worth watching and it deserves many of the Oscars it has been nominated for.

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