Ali (2001)
Michael Mann’s films are focused on individuals struggling with identity issues. In Manhunter (1986), Will Graham is torn between his safe, normal life and the world of the psychotic serial killers he chases. In Last of the Mohicans (1992), Hawkeye must choose between the society he grew up in and the Native American culture he comes to love. The two primary characters in Heat (1995), Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and Neil McCauley (Robert DeNiro) are, in many ways, two manifestations of the same, work-obsessed person. McCauley’s work is crime; Hanna’s is stopping it. In this film, Muhammad Ali (Will Smith) is struggling with his private identity versus his carefully crafted public persona.
Most of Will Smith’s roles such as Captain Steve Hiller or Agent J don’t ask him to do anything but exude charisma, but here he has to make us believe in the man behind the charisma. This may not be his best film, but it is his most complete performance. He does an excellent job embodying the complexities of Ali: a devoted husband and philanderer; an adoring son who threw away his father’s name; a devoutly religious man disillusioned with the politics of his faith. Quiet and thoughtful when at home, once the camera was on, Ali transformed into a confrontational braggart.
In the early stages of his career, this brash public persona was seen as a villain, and Ali was happy to play this role because it brought him fame and attention, but after his suspension for refusing induction, public perception changed. The movie frames Ali’s fight with George Foreman as a turning point. After this fight, boxing’s biggest villain, became the good guy.
The mutually beneficial relationship between Muhammad Ali and Howard Cossell (Jon Voight) changed the way we view sports. Before, sports reporting was narrative based, telling us what happened. Now, it’s entertainment based, making viewers feel emotionally connected to the event and its participants.
Jon Voight is perhaps best known as Angelina Jolie’s dad, but, at one point, he was a counter-culture icon in Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Coming Home (1978). Playing a historical figure is tricky, too many actors resort to an impression because they’re afraid the audience will compare them unfavorably to their own memory. Voight manages to straddle the line, evoking the historical Cossell, while creating a believable character.
This movie is not kind to organized religious institutions like the Nation of Islam, but is respectful of individual belief such as Ali’s and casts his decision to refuse the draft as both a personal choice emanating from deeply held convictions and a business decision.
This movie asks important questions about the duality of public life. Is it disingenuous to portray a character in public or should we expect honesty and transparency in public figures?
Ben-Hur (1907)
This short, silent film features the chariot race from Lew Wallace’s story of Judah Ben-Hur.
Because the producers of the picture did not ask for permission to make the movie, Lew Wallace’s estate sued them, and the resulting lawsuit set a precedent requiring filmmakers to obtain the rights before making a film based on a preexisting work.
This is interesting because of its place in establishing modern practices of film rights, but it’s a boring film.