Review of Ali (2012) by Fayfay S — 01 Feb 2009

Surprisingly fractured, episodic and suffering from a bad case of biopic-itis, Michael Mann's expose on one of the greatest boxers in history - spanning from his first world title win to the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" bout in the Congo - is emotionally defunct and often downright confusing.

The script, which tries to build Ali as a character haunted by the events of the African American Civil Rights movement, sways too far from home and does poor justice to Ali as a sportsman and as a master fighter.

Will Smith is quite good as the charismatic and very funny hero, but is supported by a wide cast of actors who bring nothing special to the table (and, oddly, Mario Van Peebles turns up as Malcolm X of all people!).

There are iconic Michael Mann moments - brilliant use of music, genuinely exhilarating boxing matches and a handful of powerful moments, but much of this is buried under a malaise of forced pathos and gimmicks.

The end result is confusing, hard to follow, divergent and definitely Michael Mann's weakest entry amongst a slew of masterpieces. Not as great as it should have been.