One of the most iconic figures in athletic history, Muhammad Ali’s incredible story from world champion boxer to inspiring social activist is explored through his own voice and never-before-seen archival material.
I’ve seen a ton of Muhammad Ali documentaries over the years but I was still excited to see this one because I hoped it would give me a little something extra that the others hadn’t. Each time I hear his story, all of the obstacles he had to overcome, starting out as just some average boy in a boxing gym to becoming one of the most colorful and entertaining fighters of all time, just blows me away. I think about the discipline, dedication, and courage it took for him to not only become the top in his sport but excel while facing racism, constant attacks, against his religion and fighting for his right to refrain from unnecessary war.
No matter how many times you see a Muhammad Ali fight, you are just mesmerized at his skill and talent but also thoroughly entertained by his over the top personality. This documentary will give you his most incredible matches from the beginning to the end of his career. Many of us are already familiar with the fights between Ali and Foreman or Spinks, but I especially loved the footage of Ali vs Alan Hudson, Henry Cooper, Sonny Liston, Ernie Terrell, Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis, and Bob Foster, to name just a few. I thought the intimate scenes with his sparring partner and future opponent Larry Holmes, the tour of his private gym and sanctuary he built for himself, and, of course, lots of slick usual Muhammad Ali slick talk was memorable.
This film didn’t add anything new I hadn’t seen in previous documentaries about Ali, they talk about his name change and converting to Islam, his relationship with Malcolm X and many others who fought for the oppression and equality of blacks in America. You will see his trips to Africa, talk show appearances, refusing to go to Vietnam, having his belt taken away, fighting to get it back and all of his comeback fights. I did learn something new. I was surprised to learn that 5 minutes before each fight, Ali states that he couldn’t sleep and was always nervous, but only before the first few punches. I thought that was an interesting fun fact and I did love how Ali seemed to be the commentator in this documentary. I felt he guided us through the movie and that I really did enjoy. A really great documentary but not much you didn’t already know about Ali.
Now available to watch on HBO
