Another Ali movie, really?
Haven't we had enough of them?
I hope this is an outstanding film and I'm proved to be a sour puss but either way I've definetly had my fill of him on screen.
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MovieChat Forums > Facing Ali (2010) Discussion > Another Ali movie, really?
I don't think there has been enough of them. I mean this is a guy who fought in the heavyweight division for 20 years. Most heavyweight champs fight less than a decade. This is a guy that didn't fight for 3 years to come back to regain his title. And do it again against Spinks when he is 500 years old. And thats just his stats for fighting. Thats not counting what he did for black people as a whole. Or what he did for boxing as a whole. He was a man of principles who stood up against the Vietnam War because he believed it went against his religion. Thats coming from a guy who wasn't against the Vietnam War. He was a very loving and giving person. This is a guy who gave money away like candy to strangers as he was walking down the street. There is many great things about the guy and only a small fraction of it has been put on film.
The thing is I knew all of that. I've seen it played out in a bunch of movies and documentaries. I can see that if you were a huge fan of boxing you couldn't get enough of movies about it but I'm just interested in the subject, I can take it or leave it and after half a dozen movies I've seen, I think its time to leave it.
shareWell thats understandable. I mean if you just are interested but not a huge fan then I can see why you say that. For me I am a huge fan. So for me I can't get enough lol.
Techpops, have you seen this film?
Because what's in here hasn't been played out in a bunch of movies and documentaries. This is a line of intimate interviews with Ali's opponents. It's enlightening and fresh.
No, you haven't seen anything like this before.
"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." - Muhammad Ali
I can see your a big fan and for you I'm sure it's really interesting watching all those boxers be interviewed. I can see how you'd get some different perspectives on the man as viewed from through the eyes of boxers that went up against him.
I'm happy to be proven wrong about this film being excellent viewing for boxing fans and ali fans so lets just say that my lack of enthusiasm about this film is coming from the perspective of not having seen it and not being engaged enough by the advertising for it to go and see it.
Comments I'm getting here are slowly bringing me round though! :)
It's more about the fighters and their coming to terms with how they lived their lives and what their lives meant -- these are older men reflecting back.
Really a terrific film, very well-done.
Just watched it.
Think it's pretty refreshing, and gives an excellent insight into Ali's career from the viewpoint of his opponents. There is some criticism of Ali present, so it's not an Ali-glorification film by any means. This is about the real professionals, the boxers themselves who fought him, giving us their opinions and knowledge.
Certainly an 8/10 film, although it's like any other discussion type documentary/film about events long ago - you do need a bit of patience to sit through it, as there isn't much on screen action at all, just very brief clips constantly mixed in with the interviews.
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That's funny. In the documentary Thriller in Manilla he doesn't sound that noble, or virtuous. Saying he did a lot for Black people can be seen many different ways. Trying to get all the Black community to hate Smokin' Joe isn't something good i would consider. Opposing the Vietnam War was (apparently) something he was told to say to get out of it, by the leader or the Mosque (or whomever said it). But he still may have had similar feelings though.
How about more Smokin' Joe Frazier documentaries. Why not more Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, Rocky Marciano, Larry Holmes, Roy Jones Jr, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Haggler? Anybody else please.
I am very glad that this film was made. After all, you couldn't get anyone closer to the action of the key moments of Ali's career than the men chosen for this documentary.
What I found surprisingly interesting was hearing the story arcs of these other fighters. Every one of them had had an extremely rough life. Most of them attribute boxing, and in particular, their fights with Ali with making them, but then again, many of them have probably had more taken out of them through boxing than they ever got from boxing, whether it be by being ripped off, the trappings of fame and fortune, or what they took in the ring.
I see very human stories there. Charuzo talking about how the ove of his friends and family gave him the strength to carry on after the tragic deaths of his wife and sons. Holmes in a Catch-22 fighting against his hero when he's past his used by date, and trying to win without killing him, Terrell hurt about being unfairly injured and not having a chance to fight ali at his best, Foreman losing the belt and gaining his life, the tears in Frazier's eyes as he remembers the hurts and regrets from his encounters with Ali.
I watch this film, and I see that boxing very rarely leaves boxers as whole people at the end of their careers.
Fortunately this movie is more about Ali's opponents than him. The last thing we need is another praise fest just sucking him off. It's a good documentary that gives you a good idea of who was who in those days. They kind of gloss over Frazier and Foreman a bit though, I guess because they both have had so much said about them already.
shareGreat movie that had me in tears seeing the struggle all these boxers had leading up to their fights with Ali and how those fights changed their lives. I didn't know the struggles Ken Norton had raising his son by himself. I also didn't know that he was paralyzed for 3 years. Ron Lyle's story of redemption was inspiring and seeing Chavallo carry on after so much loss in his life was admirable. Never put together Stokely Carmichael and the African singer Miriam Makeba until I saw her singing in the movie (a lot of great singing in this movie btw). Ali is like a mythical hero, touching many people along the way, especially to the black community. He tried to stand up for what he believed but recognized mistakes he made along the way. It seems ironic that a fast, smooth talking, gifted a guy like Ali ended up worst than the other guys. Yet he's handled it with dignity and class. Loved the movie.
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