Review of Ali (2012) by Charles T — 17 Nov 2008

Really I'm a backer on Will Smith, in most films he's in I usually like what he does, I think he has tons of charisma on screen and off, even if he boarders on annoying sometimes, but he never really stinks up the film.

That being said, I think Ali was Will's first real dive into serious dramatic work, or work where he's not the punch-line. And as such he's a little rocky... Ali is a film based on the life of 3-time professional boxing champion Muhammad Ali a.

K.a. Cassius Clay. One thing that really gets your attention right away is how Will speaks. I understand he's trying to mimic Ali's speech patterns and tones but damn it all if it isn't almost the same every time he's not talking to a woman.

The music wasn't bad but it did nothing for the film and at times was kind of pushing the drama that wasn't there. All the players around him are pretty solid, especially who plays Malcom X. Now all that aside the one thing a film about Muhammad Ali should have is good fighting right? Don't expect that from this film.

There are some inspired shots by the DP to try and invoke a ferocious exchange of fists, but when they zoom out, the punching is so slow and there's no power behind it at all, I don't expect real punches because I know it's fake anyway but where's the acting of the weight of the punches the power behind the fists, at the crack of an elbow? It's no where.

I know they may have tonned it down to try and get the feel of the style of boxing back then... but come on! I've seen clips of Muhammad boxing and no way are the fights that boring and passionless, if anything they should be full of passion.

Each punch. Because that's who Ali was. He talked the talk and walked the walk. He coined the phrase 'Move like a butterfly Sting like a bee.' And here the fighting is almost as lame as Rocky Balboa's final match.

Now that that's aside, the film itself, actually barely goes to the ring, it's mostly about his life, the struggles between his love life and his religion, the struggles between himself and the US courts.

But here in lies the problem the film never really focuses, it kind of is just a muddied, long, convoluted film about his entire life... there was no focus they jump from his major struggles to his major struggles to his major struggles at clips so fast sometimes you don't care.

And it's much much too long. I zoned out about half way after his first marriage ended. All in all, I just can't recommend this to anyone. It just doesn't know what it wants to say.