RATING: 80%
Insightful documentary about the Black experience in America as regards the unwillingness of Blacks to play the White man's game.
Muhammad ALI was a political athlete who refused to serve in the US military in Vietnam because the Vietcong never called him a 'Nigger'. Also, of course, Blacks are largely denied a share of the American Dream - despite paying taxes - so have less reason to be patriotic. This stance made ALI a hero for Blacks and somewhat less popular with Whites.
The irony of this movie is that it focused positive attention on Africa - and the achievements of Blacks - in a way that the White media rarely shows, yet Zaire was a dictatorship that does not make Africa look good - especially in terms of human rights. This issue is largely unexplored here.
This film is also about the positive mental attitude necessary to overcome apparently insuperable odds. ALI was a beautiful fighter because he was intelligent and used that brain to beat a boxer (George FOREMAN) who should have beaten him - at least on paper. Yet loving boxing as much as ALI did is tempting the fates to destroy him if he stays in the ring beyond his sell-by date.
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