Review of Ali (2 Disc Set)

Introduction

Cassius Clay…Mohammad Ali…widely considered to be the greatest boxer of all time…the greatest sportsman of all time. Now a shadow of his former self, the great man`s story (or at least part of it) is told in Michael Mann`s acclaimed movie, featuring Oscar nominated performances from both Will Smith and Jon Voight.

The film starts just before Clay`s first world title, and covers his life until the end of the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight with George Foreman. Inbetween we meet Malcolm X, Joe Frasier and the public face of heavyweight boxing…Don King.

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and is of a very high standard. The image is clear and sharp, with no sign of dirt or grain and a vibrant (if a little over exposed) image that contains plenty of detail.

The visuals are superb, with the locations and arenas wonderfully re-created, making the film look very authentic. From New York to Zaire, the film looks fantastic and should be a lesson to other film makers in how to make good looking movies.

The fights are very well shot, using a multitude of camera angles in the arenas to heighten the drama and action.

It`s just a shame that Entertainment In Video don`t make a newer opening logo that belongs in this century and isn`t grainy!

Audio

The soundtrack comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 and is an excellent example of how much warmer and powerful DTS sound is - the Dolby Digital soundtrack is very good, but the DTS soundtrack is superb, with the sound filling the room from all directions. The opening sequence is set to music and sounds absolutely fantastic - just turn the volume up, sit back and enjoy it. In comparison, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is flat and lifeless, with none of the spirit of its DTS counterpart.

In the fights, the sound is again excellent, with crowd noise moving around the room as the camera rotates around the ring. You can feel the punches land as the boxers battle it out. Fantastic stuff.

Throughout the film, music and effects are in continual use, all making full use of the available channels to and used to maximise the impact of the film in typical Michael Mann style, but the dialogue is clear and easy to understand, so Ali`s wonderful speeches can be enjoyed without hinderance.

Features

The extras come on disc two and consist of a behind the scenes featurette, a making of, cast and crew soundbites and the trailer.

The behind the scenes featurette runs for just under twelve minutes and is quite entertaining.

The making of runs for twenty eight minutes, and features interviews and some excellent footage of Will Smith and the real Ali on set. There`s also footage of Smith`s gruelling training schedule to get fit for the film - 6 hours a day for a year - which doesn`t sound like much fun! Although the featurette starts with film clips, luckily the interviews and information take precedence, and the making-of it pretty interesting.

The soundbites include interviews with Mann, Smith, Voight, Wright, Foxx, Silver, Williamson and Van Peebles, which vary in length and are generally interesting…although some of the material is contained in the making-of.

Conclusion

When I saw Ali at the cinema, I left feeling slightly cheated, because as good as the film is, and as well made and acted it is, anyone who didn`t know why Ali is "The Greatest" wouldn`t be too much wiser after seeing the film. I felt that the film would have been better if the content had been trimmed to allow a wider span of Ali`s life to be shown.

Will Smith`s performance is stunning, and fully justifies his nomination for an Oscar, I`ve seen Training Day, and Smith is certainly on-par with Denzel Washington, the eventual winner of the gong. Voight is similarly impressive as the sports reporter Howard Cosell, who had a special relationship with Ali. The supporting cast is also very good, with Mario Van Peebles notable as Malcolm X, and Mykelti Williamson rather convincing as a young Don King, hair and all…

Visually and sonically, the film is powerful, in fact one of the most powerful I`ve seen for a while, particularly the scenes set in Africa. The film is very well made and looks extremely authentic.

The extras are quite interesting, although a director`s commentary and some archive footage of real Ali fights would have rounded things off quite nicely.

Overall, Ali is a bit on the long side, but a generally entertaining film, well made, with superb performances and good presentation. Recommended.