Saw 'Ali'......

[FAST FRED]

...with Will Smith in the title role.

Smith was very good.

The Link

From director Michael Mann and also featuring Jamie Foxx as Bundini Brown, Jon Voight as Howard Cosell, Mario Van Peebles as Malcolm X and Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee.

I vividly remember paying five bucks in 1966 to watch Muhammad Ali training to fight Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams at a gym in Houston just before they met in the Astrodome.

That was a well spent five dollars, paid to watch "The Greatest" work out: skipping rope, punching on the speed bag and heavy bag and sparring.

Even though at that time it could have bought me ten delicious Whoppers from Burger King which would have fed me for almost a week.

Ali was very impressive in person and so was this movie.

Highly recommended for those who lived through those years and followed his boxing career and the travails of his personal life.

This was akin to my watching and enjoying "Apollo 13" or "Frost/Nixon" on the screen after living through those events in my salad days.

The relevance to you and your interest in any of these flicks might depend somewhat on your age and/or personal investure in those particular moments of history.

For me, I thought "Ali" was a worthwhile rental.

 

[Thunderhoof]

I thought this was good, too.

There were times that Will Smith was so "on" in the role that I caught myself shaking my head. Seeing this movie made me go out and read more about Ali, which was interesting and probably would have made the viewing experience better for me. "King of the World", by David Remnick is a great read.

I'm 37, so by the time I was watching boxing Ali was already pretty much done, though his presence was still huge in the sport. Reading a little about him before the movie would have helped me place more things that Mann showed into context. Having lived through those times, Fred, you probably didnt need background to enjoy it.

Nice review, as always.

 

[Third Coast]

One of the best sports stories ever. What Ali accomplished was nothing short of amazing,. Not only what he did in the ring, but for the affect he had breaking through the color barrier. Clearly the most popular athlete in the world, ever.

I used to be a huge boxing fan. Grew up during Ali's prime and on through greats like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, & Thomas Hearns. After seeing what has happened to Ali and numerous other boxers from the brain rattling they have taken in the ring, I've changed my view of the sport.

I know it has been a way out for countless underprivileged kids and I respect one's right to make the choice, but if a long healthy life is important to them, they may want to look at another career.

 

[Hornius Emeritus]

Agreed ... it was very good.

Fast Fred, have you ever seen "Michael Collins" with Liam Neeson? Saw it via Netflix this past weekend. It was very good, despite Julia Roberts' fake Irish accent, which wandered all over the place.

 

[FAST FRED]

Yeah, I saw it.

It was OK.

I liked "Satisfaction" with Julia as a bass player and Liam as a bar owner.