Ali

Theatrical Release Date: 2001 12 25 (USA)

UPC: 043396066892

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Not For Children, Profanity]

Summary: Notoriously obsessive director Michael Mann and star Will Smith devoted nearly two years and over 100 million dollars from the coffers of Columbia Pictures and other financiers to creating this biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali, which focuses on the ten-year period of 1964-1974. In that time, the brash, motor-mouthed athlete quickly dominates his sport, meets and marries his first wife (Jada Pinkett-Smith), converts to Islam (changing his name from Cassius Clay), and defies the United States government by refusing to submit to military conscription for duty in Vietnam. His world heavyweight champion title thus stripped from him entirely for political reasons, the champ sets about to win back his crown, culminating in a legendary unification bout against George Foreman (Charles Shufford) in Zaire, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle." In his travels, Ali becomes a symbol of power to disenfranchised African-Americans everywhere and meets such luminaries as Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles), Martin Luther King Jr. (LeVar Burton) and Maya Angelou (Martha Edgerton). Ali features an all-star supporting cast that includes Jon Voight, Giancarlo Esposito, Jamie Foxx, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton, Paul Rodriguez, Ron Silver, Mykelti Williamson, and Jeffrey Wright. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Picture – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – null Best Original Score – null Best Original Score – null Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Supporting Actor – Broadcast Film Critics Association

Features: Digitally mastered audio & anamorphic video
Mastered in high definition
Widescreen presentation
Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), French
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Theatrical trailers
Scene selections
Animated menus

Ali

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/30/2002

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 2.40:1

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 157 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Start [15:18]
2. Liston vs. Clay [11:46]
3. The People's Champ [1:39]
4. Ali and Malcolm X [4:01]
5. Elijah Muhammad [4:34]
6. First Time in Africa [3:52]
7. Sonji [7:10]
8. Joe Smiley [3:18]
9. "They Shot Malcolm!" [4:34]
10. Ali vs. Liston II [1:08]
11. "Wide World of Sports" [3:52]
12. War Comes Home [2:16]
13. Ali vs. Terrell [6:19]
14. The Sentence [1:31]
15. Belinda [1:29]
16. Exile in Chicago [2:02]
17. Historical & Momentous Moment [14:07]
18. Joe Frazier [2:18]
19. Ali vs. Quarry [3:26]
20. Supreme Court Ruling [4:31]
21. Ali vs. Frazier II [1:58]
22. Don King, Promoter [5:26]
23. Welcome to Zaire [:54]
24. Roadwork [2:31]
25. "George Had an Accident" [9:29]
26. Veronica [4:45]
27. The Rumble in the Jungle [13:38]
28. Winner by a Knockout [8:08]

Derek Armstrong

Always a technician at the top of his craft, Michael Mann proves it again with his visually alive take on the boxing life of Muhammad Ali, starring Will Smith in the role naysayers doubted he could play, and featuring all manner of virtuoso work inside the ring. While both director and star were generally praised, the film itself failed to appear on year-end ten-best lists, due to what might be described as an impenetrable emotional distance from its subject. Even with Smith silencing his critics through an effective combination of impersonation and nuance, his Ali is an unexplored curiosity, seen mostly through a handful of his most famous fights. Still, the visual achievements, including the precise performances, are undeniable. Mann's handheld camera and off-center compositions again give that palpable p.o.v sense of a life spied upon, teleporting viewers into the detailed world he creates. Mann is king of setting the scene without expository overkill, letting the soundtrack or a telling image speak louder than the dialogue. This approach is particularly noteworthy with the character of Angelo Dundee (Ron Silver), Ali's trainer, a key recurring figure whom the ever-judicious Mann blends into the narrative without having to rely on a big speech or other device to distinguish him. Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, and Jon Voight are also terrific in supporting roles, particularly Voight's scene-stealer as the appropriately plastic-looking Howard Cosell. Ali may float like the most technically accomplished butterfly out there, but because it fails to sting like a bee, thematically, it can't keep pace with Mann's best work. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Victoria Dillard  Actor 
Lee Cummings  Actor 
Henrikennyo Mukenyi  Actor 
Guy Van Swearingen  Actor 
John Ortiz  Actor 
Themba Gasa  Actor 
Zaa Nkweta  Actor 
Wei Yi Lu  Actor 
David Haines  Actor 
Jada Pinkett Smith  Actor 
David Hess  Actor 
Maestro Harrell  Actor 
Millard Arnold  Actor 
Andrew P. Jones  Actor 
Robert Sale  Actor 
Edda Collier  Actor 
Nathaniel Malekane  Actor 
Maya Van Peebles  Actor 
Gailard Sartain  Actor 
Vincent Cook  Actor 
Marc Kulazite Mboli  Actor 
Morgana Van Peebles  Actor 
Brad Greenquist  Actor 
Wade Andrew Williams  Actor 
Marc Grapey  Actor 
David Prudham  Actor 
Brandon T. Jackson  Actor 
William Utay  Actor 
Rufus Dorsey  Actor 
Mark Mulder  Actor 
Damien "Bolo" Wills  Actor 
Doug Hale  Actor 
Kim Robillard  Actor 
Jean Bikoi  Actor 
Cimanga Kalambay  Actor 
LaDonna Tittle  Actor 
James Gilbert  Actor 
Lee Caplin  Producer 
A. Kitman Ho  Producer 
Michael Mann  Director 
Michael Mann  Producer 
Michael Mann  Screenwriter 
Jon Peters  Producer 
Eric Roth  Screenwriter 
Lisa Gerrard  Composer (Music Score) 
Christopher Wilkinson  Screenwriter 
Stephen J. Rivele  Screenwriter 
Graham King  Executive Producer 
James Lassiter  Producer 
Pieter Bourke  Composer (Music Score) 
Paul Ardaji  Producer 
Howard Bingham  Executive Producer 
Will Smith  Actor 
Jamie Foxx  Actor 
Jon Voight  Actor 
Mario Van Peebles  Actor 
Ron Silver  Actor 
Jeffrey Wright  Actor 
Mykelti Williamson  Actor 
Nona Gaye  Actor 
Michael Michele  Actor 
Joe Morton  Actor 
Paul Rodriguez  Actor 
Bruce McGill  Actor 
Barry "Shabaka" Henley  Actor 
Giancarlo Esposito  Actor 
Lawrence Mason  Actor 
LeVar Burton  Actor 
Albert Hall  Actor 
David Cubitt  Actor 
Ted Levine  Actor 
Candy Ann Brown  Actor 
David Elliott  Actor 
Shari Watson  Actor 
Malick Bowens  Actor 
Michael Bentt  Actor 
James N. Toney  Actor 
Alfred Cole  Actor 
Charles Shufford  Actor 

Country: USA