Muhammad Ali: The Greatest Review

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest
Documentary of the legendary boxer and cultural hero, Muhammad Ali.

by Mark Dinning |
Published on
Release Date:

08 Feb 2002

Running Time:

116 minutes

Certificate:

PG

Original Title:

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest

If it's nourishing objectivity you're after, look away now. Tracing the same ten-year period of Ali's life - from champ-in-waiting to post-draft debacle comeback trail - as Michael Mann's movie, Klein's camera certainly manages to capture some genuine hidden gems.

That said, the footage can frustrate with its rawness and, at nearly two hours, this sometimes feels like one mighty long history lesson. More significantly, though, the majority of the personal and political intricacies of Ali's many personas are merely glossed over, resulting in what occasionally feels like little more than a PR exercise.

All the major players are here and Ali - naturally - is every bit as entertaining spurting out his monologues as he is dishing out his two-round demolition jobs.
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