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.

SnoopyStyle It's 1974 Zaire. President Mobutu Sese Seko and Don King organize the Heavyweight championship fight between the 32 year old challenger Muhammed Ali and the much younger murderous champion George Foreman. Ali is assumed to be pass his prime and the definitive underdog. It is the "Rumble in the Jungle". It's also suppose to have a music festival featuring James Brown and B.B. King.Muhammed Ali's charisma is undeniable. This movie soaks in all of his charms and power. I wouldn't say the documentary gets behind his overwhelming persona but the audience gets a small glimpse. This is simply Ali in the greatest of his greatness. I also love the music.

dushyant chaturvedi This is the Oscar winning documentary about the legendary boxing bout between Muhammad Ali, the challenger and George Foreman, who was the reigning world heavy weight boxing champion of the time.The match became popular as "Rumble in the Jungle". it was held at Kinshasa, Zaire. Both the fighters were blacks. However, Ali was revered as a demi-God because he had spoken about the atrocities which the African Americans were facing in the US and had refused to go and fight in Vietnam. He was considered a true representative of the blacks.George Foreman, as the documentary says, was "blacker than Ali". But still he was taken as the white devil incarnate.The match was promoted by Don King. the President of Zaire decided to give the financial rewards to the fighters as he planned to use the bout to promote his country and his despotic rule.the build up to the fight and then the fight itself have been captured perfectly. there are glimpses about Ali's interaction with the citizens of Zaire who constantly urge him to "Ali, Boma Ye" which means "Ali, Kill Him".The movie is very gripping and shows the human face of the Gods of the Gloves. Two thumbs up.

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.