65
Metascore
39 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New YorkerDavid DenbyThe New YorkerDavid DenbyMichael Mann is a fluent, evocative filmmaker, and the movie is well written, expertly staged, and beautifully edited. [24 & 31 Dec 2001, p. 126]
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittWhat keeps the movie from championship status is a sense that the filmmakers see Ali's social and political contributions as extra added attractions, ultimately less important than his greatness in the ring.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamSan Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamConnects so often and so persuasively that its shortcomings -- the movie goes slack from time to time -- really don't amount to much.
- 70VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyJust about everything Mann has chosen to present is valid, substantial and convincing, but by the end, the feeling persists that while certain essences have been grasped, only part of the story has been told.
- 70Village VoiceJ. HobermanVillage VoiceJ. HobermanFilled with vivid cameos and set to an infectious soul beat that effectively covers the underlying hum of calculated precision.
- 67Portland OregonianShawn LevyPortland OregonianShawn LevyFor all Smith's dedication and Mann's abilities, Ali remains a figure too big for even the big screen to contain.
- 63USA TodayMike ClarkUSA TodayMike ClarkAli is no disgrace, but it's not much of a performer, especially considering that it is one of the few hyped year-end releases that coulda been a contender.
- 60New Times (L.A.)Bill GalloNew Times (L.A.)Bill GalloMuhammad Ali's spirit, his life force, is not quite present here, despite Smith's astonishing mimicry and Mann's considerable perspiration.
- 50Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternWall Street JournalJoe MorgensternAli nails its subject's anger and courage, but not his lilt; his swaggering boasts but not his sly self-irony; his power but not his grace; and his inner turmoil but not the outward joyousness that has made us come to love him.
- 50Chicago TribuneMark CaroChicago TribuneMark CaroWe've seen Ali as the charismatic star of the real-time drama of his life. "Ali," for all its flashy filmmaking, just doesn't compare.