Ali
Starring Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight

Directed by Michael Mann, (R)

**1/4 out of 4 Stars

Released December 25, 2001

Running time: 158 minutes

**1/4

by Kevin Lang

Every year, one or two big holiday movies open on Christmas day. Last year, "All the Pretty Horses," based on the Cormac McCarthy novel and starring Matt Damon, arrived on Santa's sleigh, although, most moviegoers didn't seem to notice. It turned out to be the forgotten present at the bottom of the stocking, rather than the big gift under the tree. This year the Michael Mann directed "Ali" arrives in theaters on Christmas day. I had the fortunate opportunity to see the film two days before its release.

"Ali," which starred, among others, Will Smith as Muhammad Ali and Jon Voight as Howard Cosell, was an overlong biographical tribute that looked good swinging, but ultimately failed to deliver a story that could hold my interest for the near two hours and forty-five minutes that it was on the screen. It barely had my interest after the first forty-five minutes that it was on the screen.

I went to see the "Ali" with a group of ten people at a private screening. Two left not very far into the film, and four fell asleep. Three others and myself watched the entire film, ignoring the snoring behind us. I am not trying to imply that the film was that bad. We didn't screen the film until one in the morning. Afterwards, those of us who weren't dreaming of Santa and his reindeer briefly discussed the film. A friend of mind summed up "Ali" with one word that at first I think I misunderstood. He described it as being directionless.

The rest of us didn't quite understand him, thinking that he meant that the film seemed as if no one had directed it. Then on the way home from the movie, I thought more about the film, and I realized what he meant. His word choice had confused me. He meant that the film seemed aimless, and for the most part I couldn't agree more. Each scene in "Ali" was directed, and often they were directed well. However, overall, the film never headed in any particular direction. The action never rose into a significant climax. Even the fight scene at the end, although it was probably the best scene in the film, never really had the build up that it should have had.

This aspect of "Ali" is reminiscent of other Michael Mann films, such as "The Insider." Mann tells the story as if he was trying to simply follow around the main character and film what happened to him exactly in the way that it did to the real life character on which the movie is based. By doing this, the director tries to let the story develop as the result of his focus on the main character. The story is an offshoot of the main character's actions. There is very little tweaking done to the plot to make the story more engaging. This method of filmmaking may help guarantee that the film remains very loyal to the real life character on which it was based, but that does not always mean that it will result in a captivating movie. The actions of Jefferey Wigand in "The Insider" made for a more interesting story than the actions of Will Smith's Muhammad Ali in "Ali." However, at times, "The Insider," felt aimless and overlong as well.

Michael Mann is not the only director who uses this filmmaking technique. Steven Spielberg has used the same technique. However, he balances the attention that he pays to the characters with the attention that he gives to the plot, as to make sure that both combine to make for a great film. This is especially evident in his film "Empire of the Sun." We journey with the young boy, but the journey that he takes us on is a fascinating one, and it makes for a good story.

I am in no way trying to imply that Muhammad Ali is not an interesting individual. Actually, I was far more interested in the documentaries that I've seen on him than I was in the movie "Ali." Without a focused plot, I did not feel attached to Will Smith's Ali. I did not leave the theater with a heightened curiosity in one of the greatest athletes of the twentieth century. Instead, I left much the same way that I had come in, still wanting to see a movie about Muhammad Ali that is as big as "The Champ" was.