Sting like a bee (Ali (DVD))

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Product:	Ali (DVD)
Date:	27/06/02 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A different role for Will Smith, Great insight into the world of boxing, n/a

Disadvantages: Bit slow in some places, n/a, n/a

Acclaimed director Michael Mann (The Insider, Heat, The Last of the Mohicans), delivers a visually arresting portrait of one of the greatest athletes and sporting heroes of all time in Ali. Will Smith portrays a man whose wit and athletic genius, defiant rage and inner grace mirrored one of the most turbulent times in Twentieth Century America.

In a screenplay by Eric Roth and Michael Mann, Ali captures the feverish excitement as well as the political unrest between 1964 and 1974, when the then Cassius Clay shocked the world with a triumphant boxing victory, which began his unparalleled reign at the top of the boxing profession. Mann's beautifully crafted film depicts a charismatic Ali, whose grace, speed and power were matched in and out of the ring, as he became a leading civil rights activist, went through three marriages and famously refused to be inducted into the US Army.

Will Smith embodies Ali with a familiar ease and is supported by a cast that includes Jamie Foxx as Ali's talisman Drew 'Bundini' Brown; Jon Voight as commentator Howard Cosell; Ron Silver as trainer Angelo Dundee; Jeffrey Wright as the photographer Howard Bingham; Mykelti Williamson as promoter Don King and Mario Van Peebles as the political activist Malcolm X.

The source of the sheer energy that propels the movie "Ali" is all too visible, courtesy of the extra features on the double-disc DVD release.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture Sensational seems an adequate word to describe the transfer to DVD.

Sound You get a choice of either Dolby or DTS 5.1 mixes to accompany the movie. The DTS version carries extra punch and better crowd effects, but only by a whisker over its absorbing Dolby counterpart.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Making of "Ali" This is a 27-minute HBO Special, and unlike some of their cheesier efforts, it's an entertaining and revealing look at the production of an unusual Hollywood
blockbuster. Will Smith is in no doubt of his task, admitting, "It definitely scares me when you're going to take on a living icon." We get to see plenty of the icon, too, as he drops in to look at both the filming and Smith at work.

His trainer and director Michael Mann discuss Smith's year in training for the role. The consensus was that he should train properly as a boxer so, for a year, every day involved six hours of workouts. Will's commitment is impressive to watch, especially when you realise it was a role he'd been turning down for years for fear of not being able to do it justice. But once Ali told him that Smith was "nearly as pretty as him", he decided to take it on.

Behind-the-Scenes There are 12 minutes of unedited B-roll footage, which includes Will Smith discussing and filming fight scenes.

Cast and Crew Soundbites In this gallery you'll find short interview extracts from the cast and crew. Some of these are used in the 'Making of' documentary but there is extra material to be found here. Michael Mann talks about taking a true angle on the story, while Will Smith discusses the harsh reality of realising the task he was taking on. Many of the other contributors offer their views on what makes Muhammad Ali special, and on how Smith is able to mirror the man's charm and charisma.

Additional Extra Features Also on disc two is a trailer.

The film is rated 15

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