Search - Ali on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 04/30/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 37 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 57 Genres: Drama, Biopic [feature], Sports Drama See Also: Ali [Director's Cut]

Notoriously obsessive director Michael Mann and star Will Smith devoted nearly two years and over 100 million dollars from the coffers of Columbia Pictures and other financiers to creating this biography of boxing great Muhammad Ali, which focuses on the ten-year period of 1964-1974. In that time, the brash, motor-mouthed athlete quickly dominates his sport, meets and marries his first wife (Jada Pinkett-Smith), converts to Islam (changing his name from Cassius Clay), and defies the United States government by refusing to submit to military conscription for duty in Vietnam. His world heavyweight champion title thus stripped from him entirely for political reasons, the champ sets about to win back his crown, culminating in a legendary unification bout against George Foreman (Charles Shufford) in Zaire, dubbed the "Rumble in the Jungle." In his travels, Ali becomes a symbol of power to disenfranchised African-Americans everywhere and meets such luminaries as Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles), Martin Luther King Jr. (LeVar Burton) and Maya Angelou (Martha Edgerton). Ali features an all-star supporting cast that includes Jon Voight, Giancarlo Esposito, Jamie Foxx, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton, Paul Rodriguez, Ron Silver, Mykelti Williamson, and Jeffrey Wright. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Will Smith - Muhammad Ali
Jamie Foxx - Drew "Bundini" Brown
Jon Voight - Howard Cosell
Mario Van Peebles - Malcolm X
Ron Silver - Angelo Dundee
Jada Pinkett Smith - Sonji

The life story of boxing legend Muhammad Ali comes to vivid life in director Michael Mann's Ali. Columbia has done a fantastic job on this 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The images in this picture feature finely detailed colors, solid black levels, and natural flesh tones throughout. No imperfections of any kind were spotted anywhere in this transfer. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English and French. This soundtrack works very well in the confines of the film. There are many instances of directional effects through both the front and rear speakers with the bass coming in heavy and aggressive. No distortion is heard during any of the dialogue, effects, or music. Also included on this disc are subtitles in French, English, and Spanish. Sadly, this DVD edition of Ali is completely lacking when it comes to special features -- the only supplements available on this disc include a theatrical trailer for Ali and bonus trailers for Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and the sequel Men in Black 2. Fans will certainly be hoping for a better DVD down the line, but until then it looks like any special edition of Ali is down for the count. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide