Ali, 2002, (Grade A)

Director: Michael Mann
Awards? Nominated for Academy Awards and Golden Globes
Starring: Will Smith; Jamie Fox; Joh Voight; Mario Van Peebles; Ron Silver; Jeffrey Wright; Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona M Gaye, Michael Michele, Giancarlo Esposito.

sez says: fabulous--I could watch this movie two times in a row just to enjoy the camera work. The shots of the boxer's feet brings the viewer in close to the reality of what it takes to 'fight': You've got to move fast and without good legs you'll never make it in the ring. And Ali's chant "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" is given a visual understanding.  Will Smith and John Voight could not have done better jobs of creating Ali and Howard Cosell... and that they didn't win awards is mind boggling. What I liked most about this depiction of Ali's story is its historical placement: The intensity of the civil rights movement and the refusal of blacks to accept the various forms of discrimination and evils that befell them as a race were raging and Ali can not be understood separate from that time. And..interestingly, this story is told with only a moderate amount of dialogue. The view is given a certain amount of information --and then left to watch Ali think about it --then you see his right-on responses to the situation. This is a great story and wonderfully made movie.  (Grade A)