'Ali' fails to deliver knockout punch

Ali - R\nStarring: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx\nDirected by: Michael Mann\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nGoing into the winter, one of the more talked about movies that wasn't based on a book was "Ali," starring Will Smith. Making a film about the greatest boxer and one of the most electrifying sports personalities of all time certainly piqued a lot of interest. Would Smith be able to accurately portray Ali? What parts of Ali's life would be covered in the film? What would the fight scenes look like? Upon seeing the film, these questions were finally answered, but with varying degrees of satisfaction.\nFirst and foremost, what needs to be pointed out about this film is the acting. It is superb. Smith does a great job taking on the role of the champ. At the start of the movie I was waiting for him to say something like "parent's just don't understand" but by the end of the movie, I saw him more as Ali and less as the Fresh Prince. He was very believable. Jamie Foxx shows that he is more than just a comedian in portraying Ali's cornerman, Drew "Bundini" Brown. \nThe fight scenes are also well done doing as good a job as possible to show the viewer what is going on as well as trying to convey the ferocity and craziness that occurs in the ring during a fight. The fight scenes very well might have been the best aspect of the movie.\nPraise aside, there are also some down parts to this movie. The movie is 157 minutes long, and it makes sure you are aware of every one of them. The movie takes a long time to get going, and many scenes feel like they drag on for much longer than needed. Director Michael Mann tried to show a different side of Ali than many were probably expecting, focusing less on the man in the ring and in the spotlight and instead on his quest to find himself and his struggles with the Vietnam War when he could not fight and was stripped of his title. In all, you only see Ali fight in five fights, leaving viewers more time to see Ali outside the ring.\nWhile this idea to show Ali for the man that he was instead of the boxer we all know was an interesting angle and could have made an interesting film, Mann fails to follow through with his view, instead presenting us with a rambling slow moving film that fails to really entertain and hold the viewers' attention. See this movie for Smith's portrayal of Ali, but wait till it's on video.