George Foreman is a hugely impressive man, of that there is no question. What he achieved in the sport of boxing is truly phenomenal and deserves to be committed to film. However, a remarkable life does not necessarily make a remarkable film, and that is painfully evident with this biopic.
For a two hour film it feels excruciatingly long. The pace is ploddy and lethargic and it is a real chore at times. There's a lack of creative or visual flair in the filmmaking which doesn't help with this issue. The boxing sequences are also relatively flat which doesn't help either.
In terms of the story, it is very interesting. I knew next to nothing about Big George before watching this film, so learning about his rise in boxing was really interesting, but the story isn't overly well told. It zips past too many areas and lingers in others for too long. It is always difficult with a biopic deciding which areas to focus on across an entire life, and I don't think this one gets it quite right.
I wasn't entirely convinced with the lead performance either. Khris Davis is a fine actor I'm sure but too often he just felt off. I can't put my finger on it but it just doesn't work.
Quite often the tone felt off as well. The initial half an hour or so was incredibly cheesy, with really quite poor dialogue.
As negative as all of that sounds, I did enjoy this film. It isn't overly well made and feels pretty clunky in parts, but it's hard to ignore how fun and engaging the story is. When you have such a brilliantly interesting man at the centre of your biopic, it's hard not to make a compelling film. Despite its lack of flair, this is still a solidly engaging biopic.
