Ali
Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine Patron

Ali 2001

★★★★

Rewatched 17 Jul 2023

Action!: MANN MEN - In the Heat of Digital Mike's Manhunt

Another film I'm relieved to find that it still works. Will Smith had been working on serious projects and discarding his Fresh Prince image for a while, but this role cemented his reputation as a serious, Oscar-worthy actor. And I wonder, half joking, half seriously, if the infamous "slap" at the Oscars was meant to serve as a reminder that, yeah, Will was fantastic in King Richards, but that he was truly getting that Oscar for this movie. It makes you wonder if the man was possessed by the ghost of Ali that night.

But in all seriousness, Smith is the one who keeps the audience enthralled throughout Michael Mann's expert direction. You can see that the actor tries to get, if not into the method, then into the part to become the boxer. He does an excellent job of communicating the complex spectrum of feelings that plague our protagonist over the course of his life. He subtly also shows his more troubled sides, not only personally, but also in his family and love life, although I also think it's a good job of the writing and performances I cared about Belinda, for example. Also, with Smith and Jada being married at the time, does that make the sex scene count as a sex tape, right? Plus, I'm still not sure what they did to Voight, but it'll come back to haunt me in my nightmares.

All in all, although especially early on the film falters a bit in capturing the boxer's entire life, with some aspects like his relationship with Malcolm X and so on feeling a bit underdeveloped, this is still a really great biopic anchored by an Oscar-level performance from Smith.

Action!: MANN MEN - In the Heat of Digital Mike's Manhunt

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Luther: The Fallen Sun
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