poe-48833 They say that there are only a handful of characters who are instantly recognizable the world over; they mention characters like Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan and Superman- but Holmes and Lord Greystoke and Kal-El are all make-believe. Muhammad Ali wasn't. Last night, around Midnight, I heard the news that he'd Moved On. For me, Muhammad Ali filled a gaping void in my life; he was a Role Model I could look up to (unlike my alcoholic father)- a man who Practiced what he Preached. Along with the likes of Charlton Heston and Bruce Lee and writers like Richard Matheson and Harlan Ellison and dozens of comic book writers and artists, Muhammad Ali taught me what it was to be a Man. He brought the posturing of professional wrestling to the all-too-real world of professional Boxing and made it work. He even fought and beat The Man of Steel, Superman, in an illustrated story rendered by none other than Neal Adams himself (who I came to think of as "the Muhammad Ali of comics"). Something VITAL has been Lost in this World, and we're never going to see his Like again. I remember seeing an interview with Ali, who was watching footage of himself as a young man: in the clips, he was announcing his Greatness to the World at the top of his lungs- and backing up his braggadocio against some of the most dangerous fighters in Heavyweight Boxing history (surely no God ever faced such Monsters!). "I sure was somethin', wasn't I?" he mused. Indeed.

paul2001sw-1 The story of Muhammed Ali and the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" is the stuff of legend; the world's best boxer becomes a hate figure for middle America and is banned for political reasons; he returns but has lost his edge; he gets a last shot at the world title in a fight to be held in Zaire, whose kleptomaniac dictator is willing to put up his people's cash to pay for it; and against all the odds, he astonishingly beats the superior puncher George Foreman through a combination of wit and bravery. Ali was beautiful and clever as well as violent; his "art" destroyed him, but it's easy to tell his story as a kind of noble myth. Which is exactly what 'When We Were Kings', a documentary that relies relatively little on talking heads (because the whole drama was a kind of performance, and filmed) does. The film even gets its soundtrack for free thanks to the musicians brought in to publicise the fight. I don't even like boxing, but it's still a compelling story; but also watch 'Thrilla in Manilla', a film about Ali's next fight, for a story that takes something of the gloss of his personal sheen.

moe-syszlak I don't believe the film is as flawed as some of the previous reviewers have stated. The footage was all from the early 70's and in that sense this is truly a film of it's time. This is a time and a place that doesn't exist any more, and even Zaire doesn't really exist anymore, its now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Ali and Foreman fought it was a dictatorship under Mobutu, who wanted a spectacular sporting event held in his country. For me, the musicians, and the black culture elements are nothing more than an interesting backdrop of a superbly talented athlete trying to overcome almost insurmountable odds. Again and again we are reminded of the lack of belief in the Ali camp as Foreman destroyed one heavy bag after another. The key moment of the film for me can almost (but not totally) be encapsulated in Norman Mailer's anecdote at the end of the first round, where he claims he could see Ali looking within himself, and slowly concluding that this was THE moment in his life. Ali was standing in a ring with a man he knew he could not bully, who was stronger than him, could hit harder than he could, and was as determined to force his will on Ali as Ali was determined to do likewise. There is no purer moment of epiphany captured in any documentary I have yet seen. Here was a man out-gunned in almost every department, who with a combination of pure skill, guile, determination, athletic prowess and self belief, managed to overcome a ferocious and worthy opponent. Foreman cannot go without mention. Every David needs his Goliath. He was awesome in ability and dignified in manner. He had destroyed both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in spectacular fashion in the eighteen months before this fight and was at the top of his game. People would do well to remember Foreman was still knocking people out until 1997, when he KO'd Lou Savarese in the 12th round. They surely don't make 'em like they used to. Nobody except Ali believed he could overcome such an opponent. And what the documentary reveals to us is that in his darker moments, even he had doubts. He did not, however, let them stand in his way. This documentary is absolutely inspirational in almost every department. The fact that Ali was also a man of the people and recognised the dignity of African's in spite of their grinding poverty adds yet another dimension to this wonderful film, and to the man himself. As George Plimpton so concisely said "My God, the man's a politician too!" A truly great film , about a spectacular moment frozen in time, and a truly great leading man in Ali. I cannot close without commenting on the effect this loss had on Foreman. It hurt him deeply, and there is no one more pleased than I that he came back and shook the world a second time many years later.

rdowb Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest sports figure of all time. He is remembered for his athletic achievement, political stances, and larger than life personality. Yet we never knew him. Michael Mann made a decent movie called Ali a few years ago. He tried his best to draw a portrait of an elusive human being. But what he was trying to achieve had already been done before with When We Were Kings.When We Were Kings is a phenomenal documentary. In my opinion, the prototype for all documentaries. Taking place in and around perhaps the best boxing match of all time, the Rumble In The Jungle, in which Ali faced George Foreman(of grill fame...). Ali is shown as a man brimming with confidence, yet his constant boasting becomes a coat of armor that protects him from his own self-doubt. Yet he endears himself to the African people who embrace him like he's one of their own. In these moments Ali appears both invincible and mortal.There are some cool musical numbers by James Brown and B.B King as well as appearances by Spike Lee, Don King, and the controversial president of Zahire at the time, Mobutu Sese Seko. These appearances add depth to the amazing events of the film.If you love documentaries, sports, or character stories, When We Were Kings is among the class of each.