Ali

Directed by Michael Mann and screenplay by Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele, and Christopher Wilkinson from a story by Gregory Allen Howard, Ali is the story of 10 years in the life of the boxer Muhammad Ali from his first world title win in 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The film is a look into a moment in time when Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay Jr. and the moments in his life that would make him an icon as he is portrayed by Will Smith. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Toney, and Jon Voight as Howard Cosell. Ali is a majestic and evocative film from Michael Mann.

The film is about a decade in the life of one of the most iconic figures in sports during the 20th Century in Muhammad Ali from his first title win against Sonny Liston in February 25, 1964 to the Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974. During this time, Ali would convert to Islam and change his name from Cassius Clay Jr. to Ali while enduring all sorts of events in that time such as refusing to serve the U.S. army during the Vietnam War, failed marriages, and losing his first fight to Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century on March 8, 1971. The film is really an exploration of a man trying to adopt this new identity having dropped his birth name which he felt had been given to him and his family by slave masters and take on something new. The film’s script play into these events that include his friendship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and how it ended due to the interference of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad (Albert Hall).

His devotion to the Nation of Islam would also alienate his family and play part into the decisions of his career as one of his wives in Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali (Nona Gaye) doesn’t think the Nation of Islam, Elijah’s son Herbert (Barry Shabaka Henley), and Don King (Mykelti T. Williamson) have his best interests. Much of the film’s narrative is straightforward with some subplots involving people that Ali know being followed by a CIA official in Joe Smiley (Ted Levine) as they would believe Ali is a threat to national security as it would also show events behind the scenes such as a meeting between Don King, Herbert Muhammad, and politicians from Europe and Africa wanting to use Ali just as he is considered a messianic figure in Africa.

Michael Mann’s direction is stylish not just for its presentation with its mixture of 35mm film and grainy digital video but also in capturing a period of time when Ali was to ascend into this iconic status that would make him a polarizing figure in the world. Shot on various locations in the U.S. such as New York City, Chicago, and Miami and Mozambique as Zaire and Ghana. Mann displays a somewhat documentary-style much of his direction as it play into this world that Ali would encounter from his visits to Africa as well as struggling with the events in America around him. There are usage of wide shots of the locations as well as the venues where Ali would have his fights while he aims mainly for some intimate usage of close-ups that play into Ali’s emotions as well as aspects of his personal life that is also presented in medium shots. The usage of the grainy digital video for an opening scene of Ali jogging in Los Angeles as well as him looking at a riot as well as a love scene with a future wife in Sonji Roi (Jada Pinkett Smith).

The fight scenes are among the major highlights of the film with its usage of hand-held cameras as well as point-of-view shots of what the fighter is facing inside the ring and the punches he would get from his opponent. It’s an element of realism that isn’t seen often in films relating to boxing as well as Mann’s direction gets very close into the brutality of boxing. Even as it show Ali as someone trying to mock his opponents as well as fight them with an intelligence and showmanship. Mann’s direction also play into the reaction of the people as well as showing lots of attention to detail in the direction of the people in Ali’s corner observing what Ali is doing. It’s Mann playing into a world where men fought to become the best and for a man like Ali to use boxing as a platform for hope and change. Overall, Mann crafts a riveting and intoxicating film about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does incredible work with the film’s photography as it’s a highlight of the film with its usage of naturalistic and slightly-tinted colors and moods in the lighting as well as the grainy look of the digital video footage as well as the way the camera moves. Editors William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman, Stephen E. Rivkin, and Stuart Waks do excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish editing play into the drama as well as the thrill of the fights. Production designer John Myhre, with set decorator Jim Erickson plus art directors Jonathan Lee, Bill Rea, and Tomas Voth, does brilliant work with the sets from the hotel rooms that and homes that Ali lived in to the design of some of the venues and rings that Ali would fight in. Costume designer Marlene Stewart does amazing work with the costumes from the clothes that men wore in those times as well as the stylish dresses and Muslim garb the women would wear.

Special makeup effects artists Greg Cannom and Christopher Allen Nelson do fantastic work with the look of Howard Cosell as well as some of the prosthetics and hair for some of the characters. Special effects supervisors Alan Poole and Max Poolman, with visual effects supervisor Michael J. McAlister, do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing but also in parts that relate to the fights. Sound editors Yann Delpuech, Darren King, and Gregory King do superb work with the sound in how punches are thrown as well as the atmosphere of the audiences during the fights as well as some sounds in some of the locations. The film’s music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard is wonderful for its minimalist and ambient-based score with its usage of polyrhythms and other world beat musical textures while the music soundtrack feature a lot of the music of the times from the Pointer Sisters, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, and Bob Dylan plus contemporary pieces from Alicia Keys and Moby.

The casting by Victoria Thomas is great as it feature some notable small roles from Victoria Dillard as Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz, Malick Bowens as Zaire’s president Joseph Mobutu, David Elliott as singer Sam Cooke in the film’s opening credits scene, Shari Watson/Truth Hurts as a club singer, Ted Levine as CIA agent Joe Smiley, Leon Robinson as a Nation of Islam official in Brother Joe, David Haynes as Ali’s brother Rudy Clay/Rahman Ali, Robert Sale as boxer Jerry Quarry, Candy Ann Brown as Ali’s mother Odessa Clay, Michael Bentt as Sonny Liston, David Cubitt as journalist Robert Lipsyte, Charles Shufford as George Foreman, LeVar Burton as Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce McGill as a European political figure, Joe Morton as Ali’s attorney Chauncey Eskridge, Giancarlo Esposito as Ali’s father Cassius Clay Sr., Barry Shabaka Henley as Herbert Muhammad, and Albert Brown as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad,

Other noteworthy small roles from Nona Gaye as Ali’s second wife Belinda Boyd/Khalilah Ali who is concerned about the people Ali is with, Paul Rodriguez as Ali’s ring physician Dr. Ferdie Pacheco, and Michael Michele as Ali’s future third wife in journalist Veronica Porche whom he would meet in Zaire are wonderful in their brief roles as is Jada Pinkett Smith in a terrific performance as Ali’s first wife Sonji Roi as a woman who many in the Nation of Islam felt was unsuitable for him. James Toney and Mykelti T. Williamson are superb in their respective roles as the fighter Joe Frazier who offers Ali a shot at the title and the infamous promoter Don King who is trying to hype up the event and make a lot of money. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic as photographer Howard Bingham who would be Ali’s biographer and personal photographer who would follow Ali as well as be an observer to the events in Ali’s life.

Ron Silver is excellent as Angelo Dundee as Ali’s trainer who is focused on what Ali is doing in the ring as well as ensure that Ali has a good strategy for every fight as he’s like a father figure to Ali. Mario Van Peebles is brilliant as Malcolm X as the famed civil rights leader and Nation of Islam speaker who is a close friend of Ali as he would later go on his own path where he tries to maintain his friendship with Ali. Jamie Foxx is amazing as Drew Bundini Brown as Ali’s longtime assistant/cornerman who would help Ali come up with his famous rhymes as well as be someone that Ali can trust with on personal matters or on business matters despite his own personal issues. Jon Voight is incredible as famed sports reporter Howard Cosell as Voight would get Cosell’s famous voice right on as well as be the man trying to get answers from Ali as well as be a close friend of the boxer. Finally, there’s Will Smith in a phenomenal performance as Muhammad Ali as he channels the man’s bombastic personality in the press conferences as well as the man’s public persona as being cocky but also a man who can talk the talk and walk the walk but also display the humanity in Ali as a man struggling with his identity and the persona he has created for himself.

Ali is a sensational film from Michael Mann that features a career-defining performance from Will Smith as the legendary boxer. Along with its ensemble cast, Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography, rapturous music soundtrack, and its exploration about a decade in the life of Muhammad Ali. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of the bio-pic as it focuses on key events of the man’s life as well as the world around him. In the end, Ali is a spectacular film from Michael Mann.

Michael Mann Films: (The Jericho Mile) – Thief - (The Keep) – Manhunter - (L.A. Takedown) – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - (Heat) – (The Insider) – Collateral – Miami Vice – Public Enemies - Blackhat - (The Auteurs #74: Michael Mann)

© thevoid99 2019

Blue Steel

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Bigelow and Eric Red, Blue Steel is the story about a rookie police officer who falls for a man who she thinks might be her stalker. The film is an exploration of a woman who finds herself in a strange love affair while investigating a series of gruesome murders by someone with .44 Magnum. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Pena, Kevin Dunn, Richard Jenkins, Philip Bosco, and Louise Fletcher. Blue Steel is a chilling yet mesmerizing film from Kathryn Bigelow.

The film is about a rookie New York police officer who loses her badge following a robbery in which she kills a robber who had a gun pointed at her as the robber’s weapon wasn’t found in the crime scene. During her suspension, she meets a commodities broker where they have a relationship as she is unaware that he has the gun from the robbery and is a psychopath who has been killing people all over the city. When one of the bullet shells features her name, Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) is re-instated as a detective where she aids in the investigation where she makes some chilling discoveries about her new boyfriend Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver). Particularly as she discovers about his troubled state of mind as he continues to evade the police in this strange cat-and-mouse game.

It’s a film that is definitely a thriller of sorts but with an antagonist who could be mentally ill but also has this strange obsession towards Megan and the robbery she was in as he becomes entranced by the power of killing someone. The film’s screenplay does play into some of the aspects that is expected in a suspense film. Notably in Megan becoming involved in the investigation of these murders as she is baffled by why a bullet shell has her name. Though she is new to her role as a cop, she is still determined to do what is right though her encounter with the robber early in the film showcases not just her inexperience but also how dangerous she could be. She also has to deal with the fact that her father (Philip Bosco) isn’t fond of her being a cop while Megan is often very cagey about why she wanted to be one.

The character of Eugene isn’t a conventional antagonist as he is someone who seems like a nice guy but there’s something about him that is off. Since he witnessed the robbery that Megan was involved in and became entranced by the 44. Magnum. He is this man who is amazed by the power of killing someone as he shoots random people for kicks as he would struggle with his identity which could play to the fact that he is mentally ill. After his encounters with Megan and their relationship suddenly takes on a creepy turn, it becomes clear that Eugene is much smarter and more dangerous than Megan and the police force realize as he is unpredictable in his movements. Even as he would go to places that would play into Megan’s emotions as she is someone with a lot of emotional and mental scars forcing Megan to deal with Eugene at the risk of breaking the law.

Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is truly hypnotic in not just the way she presents late 80s New York City where it is still this unpredictable city but also from the perspective of a police officer and the man she would later deal with. Much of the dramatic compositions that Bigelow would create are very simple with its use of close-ups and medium shots as well as infusing some humor into a few scenes. Yet, she is still emphasizing on its suspense to build up some of the terror that occurs such as the film’s robbery scene where it is all about Megan confronting the robber and the impact that it would have where Eugene would see the gun and later hide it. The usage of montages and dream-like sequences would play into some of the emotional state of Megan as it would also add some suspense into the hideous actions that Eugene would use.

While some of the violence that Bigelow presents are quite gruesome including the scenes of Eugene just killing someone. It’s the intimate moments such as Eugene’s surprise appearance at the home of Megan’s parents that is just uncomfortable to watch. It’s a scene in the third act where Megan is already aware of how dangerous and unpredictable Eugene is as he is there to watch TV with the parents about the killings where Megan knows that one wrong move and everything can go to shit. It’s one of these moments where Bigelow can infuse a sense of psychological wits and play with the rhythms of the suspense where its climax is similar to a Western shootout. Overall, Bigelow crafts a very powerful and rapturous suspense film about a cop going after a psychotic killer.

Cinematographer Amir Mokri does excellent work with the film‘s stylish cinematography with its use of lights and shades for some of the film‘s interior settings while giving some of its exterior scenes a look ranging from grimy to chilling in some of its scenes at night. Editor Lee Percy does brilliant work with the editing with its use of montages, rhythmic cuts, and some slow-motion moments to play up some of the film‘s action and suspense. Production designer Toby Corbett and set decorator Susan Kaufman do nice work with some of the set pieces such as the precinct building that Megan works at to the restaurants and such where she and Eugene go to in the film‘s first half.

Costume designer Richard Shissler does terrific work with the costumes where much of it is pretty casual. Sound editor Richard King does amazing work with the film‘s sound to play into some of the tension that occurs in the suspenseful moments as well as the moments of violence. The film’s music by Brad Fiedel is fantastic for its largely ambient score to play into some of the drama and suspense.

The casting by Risa Bramon Garcia and Billy Hopkins is great as it includes some notable small yet memorable performances from Tom Sizemore as the robber that Megan confronts early in the film and Richard Jenkins as Eugene’s lawyer who tries to stop the investigation. Elizabeth Pena is terrific as Megan’s friend Tracy who tries to assure Megan over her issues as a cop while Kevin Dunn is superb as Megan’s superior who is a hard-ass authority figure but becomes aware that Megan might be right about Eugene. Philip Bosco and Louise Fletcher are excellent as Megan’s parents with Bosco as the disapproving father and Fletcher as the more supportive mother who Megan knows is being abused by her husband which adds to Megan’s emotional issues. Clancy Brown is brilliant as Detective Nick Mann who leads the investigation over the mysterious murders where he would also believe Megan about Eugene as he would later become a target.

Ron Silver is fantastic as Eugene Hunt as this very disturbing individual who has a charming and nice side when he’s with Megan early in the film but is matched by this very dark and unpredictable side of him that allows him to kill people while doing things that he might be unaware of what he’s doing as it’s a very chilling performance from Silver. Finally, there’s Jamie Lee Curtis in an astonishing performance as Megan Turner. Curtis brings a lot of intensity and emotional weight to her role as a rookie cop dealing with her inexperience while realizing that the man she’s dating is a killer as it’s one where Curtis allows herself to be a badass as well as being someone who can navigate this strange cat-and-mouse game.

Blue Steel is a remarkable film from Kathryn Bigelow that features an incredible leading performance from Jamie Lee Curtis. Along with a strong supporting cast and a captivating take on the idea of stalkers and a look into the mind of a killer. The film is definitely one of Bigelow’s finest work to showcase her knack for suspense and action. In the end, Blue Steel is a spectacular film from Kathryn Bigelow.

Kathryn Bigelow Films: The Loveless - Near Dark - Point Break - Strange Days - The Weight of Water - K-19: The Widowmaker - The Hurt Locker - Zero Dark Thirty - The Auteurs #29: Kathryn Bigelow

© thevoid99 2013