This week’s Movies You Have Not Seen But Should floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee!

Welcome to the 40th installment of Movies You Have Not Have Seen But Should. For this week, we will look at 2001 biographical drama Ali. The film’s stars include Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, and Ron Silver.

The film is based on the true story on the life of Muhammed Ali. Ali is one of the most famous athletes of the 20th century. He is a former boxing heavyweight champion of the world. He became a larger than life figure not just in sports. When he sacrificed part of the prime of his career to stick to his political and social beliefs, he became not just a sports hero but a cultural hero to many in the middle of the 20th century. In this film, Ali was portrayed by Will Smith.

It begins with the heavyweight fight between Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) and Sonny Liston. Ali would go on to win the fight and become one of the youngest heavyweight champions of all time. He would then begin to spend time with Malcolm X (played by Van Peebles) and the Nation of Islam. This in turn would lead him to become a Muslum and change his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammed Ali. He continued to have success as a boxer while still dealing with his private life.

Ali, however, would be stripped of his title and boxing license & sent to jail because of his refusal to be drafted into the Army for the Vietnam War. He would later be reinstated but lost three years of time. He tried to regain the Heavyweight title by fighting Joe Frazier (played by former championship boxer James Toney) in the “Fight of the Century” but Ali suffered his first loss to Frazier. Before Ali could get another shot at Frazier for the title, Frazier lost to George Foreman. Ali then set his sights on Foreman in trying to regain his title. The fight was to take place in Zaire, due in large part to promoter Don King (played by Mykelti Williamson). Dubbed with the nickname, the Rumble in the Jungle, this fight pitted an older Ali verses a younger Foreman. Ali would overcome Foreman to win the fight and become world heavyweight champion again.

The film not only portrays the highlights of Ali’s life but also some of the personal moments as well. These included his relationship with his trainer Angelo Dundee (played by Silver), announcer and broadcaster Howard Cosell (played by Voight) as well as cornerman Drew Bundini Brown (played by Foxx). There is also the dynamic of his romantic relationships including struggles to be faithful to his wife. Ali is portrayed as not infallible but as someone who makes mistakes while trying to be the champ.

Also starring in this film were LeVar Burton, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, Paul Rodriguez and Bruce McGill. The film was directed by Michael Mann, who directed such films as The Aviator, The Insider, Collateral and The Last of the Mohicans. It was released in theaters on December 25th, 2001. The film received two Academy Award nominations. One was for Will Smith for Best Actor and the other for Jon Voight for Best Supporting Actor.

Ali is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, Netflix Instant Streaming and Amazon Instant Streaming. It is a good biopic that is worth watching. Will Smith does a good job portraying Ali. It’s a film that you may not have seen, but you should.