Ali

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2:55

Ali

R

2001

2h 38m

Biography

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

With wit and athletic genius, with defiant rage and inner grace, Muhammad Ali forever changed the American landscape. Fighting all comers, Ali took on the law, conventions, the status quo and the war -- as well as the fists in front of him. Ali both ignited and mirrored the conflicts of his time and ours to become one of the most admired fighters in the world. Forget, now, what you thought you knew.

Critics Consensus

Though perhaps no film could fully do justice to the fascinating life and personality of Muhammad Ali, Mann's direction and Smith's performance combine to pack a solid punch.

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

04/06/2020

It has the unsurpassable merit of its main character, Muhammad Ali, who is both one of the most serious people in the world and one of the funniest.

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Wilson Morales

IndieWire

03/31/2020

Smith packed on the pounds, unleashed some great boxing moves, and displayed a level of emotional pull that compelled audiences to see him as The Greatest.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/21/2010

5/5

Brutal fight scenes and frank racial issues.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/16/2024

B+

The performances are through the roof in this film.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

02/22/2021

3.5/5

The director's cut is the best but any version of Michael Mann's film makes it clear: The rope-a-dope was something Ali perfected outside the ring, cobbled together as a combination move inside only after he reconciled himself to his singular status.

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Kaleem Aftab

The List

04/16/2019

4/5

[Michael Mann] successfully recreates an era on screen and provides a great introduction to the fighter that is not clouded by sentimentality.

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Ben W

Feb 11

Not bad. Pretty good. Something about Will Smith’s performance felt very empty. I can see how he was trying to speak like Ali, but he felt like a robot here and not real. Also, whatever camera they used must not have been built for night shoots. Dark scenes outside looked horrible and completely took me out.

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Tom B

Feb 9

Some poor writing, directoral & cinematographical choices undercut what could have been a compelling film about one of the more interesting figures in modern American history.

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Taylor

Feb 7

Always loved this movie since it first came out in 2001. Never got the chance to see it in theaters so seeing it in theaters tonight was special

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William L.

@RT70826415 May 9

Michael Mann brings Ali to life with masterful filmmaking and an amazing and plausible performance by Will Smith as Muhammad Ali. Not only a great biopic, but rather gives you a timeframe from 1964 to 1974 and the battles that Ali had to challenge and overcome. Most biopics mess up with putting in too much of a life story in such a short amount of time… but not this biopic. This film is truly a Knockout!!!

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Gareth C

@Capagee Apr 26

Perfectly fine but struggled to build anything beyond the straightest "here’s the Wikipedia article acted out"

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Kartick K

@Kkartick Feb 7

Wasted my 2hrs 30 mins, bullshit movie. If u think it is a biopic of legend ali then its not. If u want to fall asleep then fo n watch

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Synopsis

With wit and athletic genius, with defiant rage and inner grace, Muhammad Ali forever changed the American landscape. Fighting all comers, Ali took on the law, conventions, the status quo and the war -- as well as the fists in front of him. Ali both ignited and mirrored the conflicts of his time and ours to become one of the most admired fighters in the world. Forget, now, what you thought you knew.

Director: Michael Mann
Producer: A. Kitman Ho, Paul Ardaji, Jon Peters, James Lassiter
Screenwriter: Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Eric Roth, Gregory Allen Howard
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Picture Entertainment Corporation, Overbrook Entertainment, Forward Pass, Peters Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Initial Entertainment Group
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Language|Violence)
Genre: Biography, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 25, 2001, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jun 10, 2016
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.2M
Runtime: 2h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)