By Erin Free, Cara Nash and Russ Jackson
FACING ALI (2009)
Regardless of whether you like boxing or not, you will find this documentary very special, and you simply have to see it. Facing Ali is the incredible story of Muhammad Ali, as told by ten men who fought the heavyweight king. Their stories are compelling and richly emotional, and it’s great that somebody has taken the time to talk with the men who stood toe-to-toe with a true superstar of world sport. This is certainly not a cheesy homage to Ali, but rather a brutally honest and confronting piece of filmmaking that is as beautifully constructed and effortless to watch as the great fighter was. Boxing leaves itself open to criticism, and there are plenty of people keen to put the slipper into it, but there is one positive that the sport has in abundance, and that is courage. Some of Ali’s opponents in Facing Ali are well known in their own right; Foreman, Frazier, Holmes, Norton, Cooper, and Spinks are the big guns, but it’s the lesser likes who steal the show, in particular George Chuvalo. His story post-boxing will break your heart, but the courage that he has shown to move on with his life will inspire you.
ALI: THE WHOLE STORY (1996)
Made back in 1996 for the Ted Turner Network, Ali: The Whole Story is a totally exhaustive document of the life and times of Muhammad Ali. Spread over two discs and running for six hours, this is really reserved for the true faithful; if you’ve only got a passing interest in Ali, you’ll be out cold after about two rounds. But those willing to go the distance will be rewarded with some pretty impressive riches. While covering all aspects of Ali’s life, the real kick of Ali: The Whole Story comes with what Ali did in the ring. All of his major fights (from his career making crash with Sonny Liston to his evisceration of Floyd Patterson and his now legendary battles with Joe Frazier and George Foreman) are played out almost in their entirety. Amongst all the lip work and publicity sprays, it’s easy to forget the kind of damage that Ali could do in the ring, and Ali: The Whole Story rights the balance, principally looking at the blood on the champ’s gloves, and not on his battles in the civil rights arena.
ALI: THROUGH THE EYES OF THE WORLD (2001)
“I am America,” Muhammad Ali once said with typically cocksure confidence. “I am the part you won’t recognise. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky, my name not yours. My religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.” America certainly got used to Muhammad Ali, no matter how frequently he rocked and rumbled with the status quo, and his influence upon the nation’s people was undeniable. As the title of Ali: Through The Eyes Of The World suggests, this 2001 documentary takes a different route and tracks the effect that Ali had on the whole world, and not just on the faces and bodies of the men who got into the ring with him. As well as the expected interviews with Ali’s trainers and various sports journalists, this doco brings in players from all areas (Billy Connolly, Richard Harris, Billy Crystal, Rod Steiger and Tom Jones amongst others) to spiel about the effect that Ali had on them, and it makes for consistently energised viewing. Nor does it work as straight hagiography – questions are raised not just as to the integrity of The Nation Of Islam (who Ali clicked with in the sixties) but also to Ali’s almost serial womanising.
THRILLER IN MANILA (2008)
Thriller In Manila is British director, John Dower’s (The Last 48 Hours Of Kurt Cobain) attempt to redress the balance between boxing greats, Muhammad Ali and Smokin’ Joe Frazier. The contrast between the two could not be starker: Ali was a champion and made millions, while Frazier was treated as an illegitimately crowned king, and today lives at the back of his boxing gym in Philadelphia’s ghettos. Thriller In Manila explores their relationship via the lead-up to the great confrontation in the Philippines on October 1, 1975, which helped cement their rivalry as one of history’s greatest. This documentary skilfully conveys the depth of the rivalry between these two legends, as well as the complex racial politics of the time. The film reveals the way in which Ali strategically cast himself as the face of black liberation, and painted Frazier as a white collaborator; the archival footage of Ali’s public taunts are astonishing. While Thriller In Manila isn’t entirely sympathetic toward Frazier, the film suffers from being so obviously weighted against Ali. Nobody from Ali’s camp is on hand to explain why he was so personal and cruel in his attacks against Frazier. Nevertheless, the documentary is highly engaging viewing, even for non-boxing fans.
THE GREATEST (1977)
In the seventies, Muhammad Ali was one of the biggest stars in the world. He famously fought Superman in a DC comic book; had his own cartoon TV series; made an album extolling the virtues of dental hygiene; and even had his own action figure. Though he would later star in the TV movie, Freedom Road, with Kris Kristofferson, Muhammad Ali’s first venture into screen acting saw the boxer, appropriately enough, playing himself. Adapted from Ali’s autobiography, The Greatest: My Own Story, the 1977 biopic, The Greatest, was penned by Ring Lardner Jr. (M*A*S*H, The Cincinnati Kid) and directed by Tom Gries (Will Penny, 100 Rifles), who died during production. Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop) was brought in to finish the film, in which Ali does a creditable job of essaying himself, alongside Ernest Borgnine (as his trainer, Angelo Dundee), Robert Duvall, and James Earl Jones (as Malcolm X). “That was a case where calling what Ali did in the movie ‘acting’ would be inaccurate,” Hellman told Crimson Kimono. “I can’t comment on how well he did in portraying himself, but I can definitely say that he was a very nice person. I just worked on the post-production, and he spent some time with us in the cutting room. He was a really nice guy.” 
