Cassius Clay, a young boxer, wins his debut championship and goes on to reach new heights of fame through his conversion to Islam, his refusal to fight in Vietnam and other controversial actions.
Cast
Will Smith as Cassius Clay Jr. / Cassius X / Muhammad Ali
Jamie Foxx as Drew Bundini Brown - Ali's assistant trainer
Jon Voight as Howard Cosell - A journalist
Mario Van Peebles as Malcolm X - Ali's friend, and a civil rights leader
Ron Silver as Angelo Dundee - Ali's trainer
Jeffrey Wright as Howard Bingham - Ali's photographer
Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston - The boxing champion at the beginning of the movie
Robert Sale as Jerry Quarry - One of Ali's opponents
James Toney as Joe Frazier - One of Ali's opponents
Charles Shufford as George Foreman - One of Ali's opponents
Mykelti Williamson as Don King - A promoter who arranged Ali's fight against Foreman
Jada Pinkett Smith as Sonji Roi - An ex-Playboy bunny
Nona Gaye as Belinda Boyd / Khalilah Ali - A woman who interviewed Ali as a child
Michael Michele as Veronica Porché - A woman who worked with Don King
Joe Morton as Chauncey Eskridge - Ali's lawyer
Paul Rodriguez as Dr. Ferdie Pacheco - Ali's doctor
Bruce McGill as Bradley - A government agent
Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad - Ali's manager, and the son of Elijah Muhammad
Albert Hall as Elijah Muhammad - Leader of the Nation of Islam
Giancarlo Esposito as Cassius Clay Sr. - Ali's father
David Haines as Rudy Clay / Rahman Ali - Ali's brother
Laurence Mason as Luis Sarria
LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King Jr. - A civil rights leader
David Cubitt as Robert Lipsyte - A journalist
Leon Robinson as Brother Joe
Ted Levine as Joe Smiley - A government agent
Malick Bowens as Joseph Mobutu - The President of Zaire
Victoria Dillard as Betty Shabazz - Malcolm X's wife
David Elliott as Sam Cooke - A musician
Brad Greenquist as Marlin Thomas
Release date: December 25, 2001 (USA)
Director: Michael Mann
Featured song: Tomorrow
Box office: $87.7 million
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, MORE
Distributed by: 20th Century Studios, Columbia Pictures, Initial Entertainment Group
Plot
The film begins with Cassius Clay Jr. before his championship debut against then-heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. Clay taunts Liston, then dominates the early rounds of the match. Halfway through, he complains of a burning feeling in his eyes (implying that Liston has tried to cheat) and says he is unable to continue. However, his trainer/manager Angelo Dundee gets him to keep fighting. Once Clay is able to see again, he dominates the fight and Liston quits before round seven, making Clay the second-youngest heavyweight champion at the time after Floyd Patterson.
Upon returning to America, Ali fights Sonny Liston a second time and knocks him out in the first round. He and Sonji divorce after she objects to various obligations Muslim women have.
Ali refuses conscription for the Vietnam War and is stripped of his boxing license, passport and title, and sentenced to five years in prison. Ali marries 17-year-old Belinda Boyd. After a three-year hiatus, his conviction is overturned and in his comeback fight, he goes against Jerry Quarry and wins by technical knockout in three rounds.
Ali attempts to regain the heavyweight championship against Joe Frazier. In the "Fight of the Century", Frazier generally has the upper hand against Ali and wins by decision, the first loss of Ali's career. Frazier later loses the championship to George Foreman.
Foreman and Ali go to Kinshasa, Zaire, for the Rumble in the Jungle fight. There, Ali meets Veronica Porché and has an affair with her. After reading rumors of his infidelity in newspapers, his wife Belinda travels to Zaire to confront him. Ali says he is unsure whether he loves Veronica, but is focused solely on his upcoming title shot.
For a good portion of the fight against Foreman, Ali leans back against the ropes, allowing Foreman to tire himself out. He then knocks out the exhausted Foreman, regaining the Heavyweight Championship.
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