Ali

Will Smith gives a remarkable impersonation of Muhammad Ali in director Michael Mann's impressively mounted biopic. It begins with the then Cassius Clay winning the heavyweight title in 1964, then follows his conversion to Islam, his relationship with Malcolm X, his refusal to fight in Vietnam and concludes with his monumental 1974 comeback against George Foreman - the "Rumble in the Jungle". Smith's performance - with his punchy vocal mannerisms and muscular physical appearance - earned him his first Oscar nomination, but the movie is less convincing when it tries to provide some insight into the enigmatic fighter. Familiar events are lavishly re-created (Jon Voight's uncanny transformation into renowned American sportscaster Howard Cosell is one of the highlights) but are not re-examined or explored in any depth. While Mann's bruising approach to the heavyweight contests demands attention, elsewhere the sluggish pace and lightweight psychological profiling lessen the overall impact of a very lengthy movie. The result is a rather ordinary film about an extraordinary man.