User reviews

Not sure I understand why this film does not have a higher rating. It is a riveting look into the spirits and circumstances of some compelling people. The nature of Boxing was elevated to international proportions entirely by the character of Muhamed Ali. At the end you see the shadow of Don King, who ushered in its death. It is a portrait of a moment in time as remembered by the old dragons who lived it. It is a perfect film, describing a rare and luminous moment inside a deeply troubled country and among the black man and white society. There will never be a moment in time to match it, not in our lifetimes. Everything about this film is compelling.

It was 1964, I was 14 years old. It seems so long ago - well, it was. I was in the seminary in Subiaco Arkansas listening one night to Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston. It started a love of boxing that lasted a very long time.

This film was a blend of talking and boxing. It kept you glued to the screen so you wouldn't miss a word or a moment of action.

It was a well balanced film; giving the good and the bad. You gained a real insight into Muhammad Ali, and into those who fought him. A fight with Ali was literally a lifesaver for Ken Norton, who was broke.

An excellent documentary about a great man.

Based off the book which was written by Toronto sports writer Stephen Brunt. In the book, he chooses 15 boxers, all of which have faced Ali, some won, some lost. Thankfully, in the movie, we only have to sit through 10 of them.

Mr. Brunt's book did everything it could to find important moments of Ali's life. The most notable fighter omission from the book was Leon Spinks. Why wasn't he included? After a relatively exhaustive search, Mr. Brunt couldn't find him. Fortunately for the viewers of the video, Director Pete McCormack found him after months of searching. Spinks had lost his job and was helping at a shelter in the mid-west USA.

I had heard about this video a while back but I avoided it until I saw MMA fighter Randy Couture say that he liked it a lot. Only then did I make a point to watch it.

Sitting down to watch the screening of the video, I feared that it would be just another glowing, "Ali was the greatest", lovefest for 100 minutes. Fortunately, this was not the case. Most of the fighters interviewed were genuine in their praise, a few were self-serving and one was bitter. Probably from being asked for the umpteenth time how great Ali was.

This is an essential video to watch about the life of Mohammed Ali. For those who forget just how fast, how smart and how talented he was as a boxer. For those who only see him now as an over the hill boxer that had too many fights, or as a shell of his former self because of Parkinson's, this video is for you.

To know the fear, anxiety, power, rage and humbling experience of stepping into the ring with a truly great fighter, you need to hear it from the people who have done it.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this film. I had not heard anything about it and when I was able to get a copy I figured it would be a puff piece, but it is much much more than that. Interviews with several opponents of Muhammad Ali reveal a lot about both the interviewees themselves, and their lives, and their almost unanimous love for Ali. Footage of each fighter's bouts with Ali is plentiful and exciting, and watching it will make you cry when you realize how much he has lost over the years. Something else that will make you cry is what one of his greatest opponents--I won't say who it is---cries openly for Ali and calls him "a great guy...and I hope he gets to live the way we all live...he's earned it." This film just knocked "Tyson" out of the top spot in my best sports documentaries of the year list.

I have seen boxing documentaries before but was never touched emotionally by one till I rented and watched Facing Ali tonight . The documentary looks at Ali through the eyes of 10 men who fought him, some of whom beat him: George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks and Ernie Terrell.

The documentary besides giving some inside revelations on the fights of those 10 men with Ali also gives some insight into the boxing careers and lives of the 10 boxers who are commenting on Ali. Some of their personal stories are pretty sad.

The documentary also covers what I found surprising statements from George Chuvalo concerning "mob" influenced events that led to the Chuvalo/Ali fight. I was also surprised by one of the fighters who was viciously verbally taunted by Ali in the days leading up to their fight come very close in the documentary to breaking down crying over Ali's present day condition.

The 10 men express some frank views on Ali and their fights with him but with the passage of a lot of time and events between now and when they actually fought Ali, there is no question that the documentary makes clear that they all deeply respect him now no matter what they may have thought of him in the past.

I have seen a lot of material regarding Muhammad Ali. Movies, clips from his greatest fights, documentaries, interviews and many, many more. This is what I was expecting when I sat down to watch 'Facing Ali'. Another documentary concerning this extraordinary man's exploits.

What I found, however, was something else. Something that kept me glued to the screen for the entirety of the film.

The premise of 'Facing Ali' is simple. Ten fighters who had traded blows with Ali during his remarkable career are interviewed. George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Larry Holmes and many other great boxers give their opinion on their fights with Ali, as well as Ali the boxer and Ali the person.

The interviews are beautifully done, with each fighter recounting their experiences, both personal and official. I found it riveting to hear each one's story. The pain and heartache each one endured to get where they were was clearly visible, as were their vivid recollections of their experiences with Ali. They say history is written by winners. This documentary identifies the men who were on the other side, who lived in the shadow that was Ali. They are no less remarkable.

The shooting style was very simple, and it worked. The interviews are interwoven with various Ali quotes and footage, as well as (of course) clips from his greatest fights over the course of his career. The whole thing comes together to keep one interested. This is no mere recollection of a great boxer's fights. It is also about Ali the man, a fighter of awesome ability, but also a man with a conflicted life, filled with hardship. This is told from the point of view of the men on the other side of his gloves.

This documentary is deserving of any praise it receives. 'Facing Ali' may have been told from the side of his opponents (phenomenal fighters and people in their own right), but it leaves little doubt - Ali was, and always will be, one of the greatest.

FACING ALI is a fantastic documentary that is a befitting tribute to the man who is undeniably "The Greatest", Muhammad Ali. I absolutely loved this "career biography" that is told by some of his most significant former opponents like Joe Frazier and George Foreman. It is easy to see why Ali is the Greatest Fighter of all time. The film has a well blended combination of historical footage and contemporary interviews beginning with his early professional fights through his last fight with Larry Holmes. It recalls his conversion from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and how he stood by his principles. We also get some insight into the men who fought him as they recount some of their own history. But mostly it is an affectionate tribute to great fighter and a great man.

This is another documentary on Muhammad Ali's most famous bouts. Unlike previous ones, it contains interviews with Ali's fiercest opponents like Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Ken Norton. They give interesting information on the fights that doesn't exist in previous documentaries. One thing I didn't like is that the transition between interviews are very quick and after some time the name of the boxer is not displayed so I had difficulty distinguishing them. Otherwise, the documentary is valuable as it contains first-hand accounts.

The life of Muhammad Ali is told by ten of his boxing opponents; George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and Ernie Terrell. They also reveals some harrowing and deeply personal stories about themselves.

This is a compelling telling of Muhammad Ali's story from another angle. He is such a magnetic personality that his opponents have been mostly silenced by his gift of gab. It's a nice retelling of the familiar story by the other voices and it does much more. These voices are allowed to tell their own stories and some of it is harrowing while others are uplifting. It's a definite must for true fight fans and fans of the human condition.

It's often said that it is the villains who make the hero stand out and look good. In this case, Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali (after his conversion to Islam) was one of the greatest heavyweight boxers and a living legend of the sport, unparalleled in his prowess during his peak, having fought the likes of George Foreman and Joe Frazier amongst many others en route to his titles, and achieving an impressive professional record of 56 wins of which 37 are by total knock outs, no draws, and losing 5 times, 4 of which are through the decisions of judges, and 1 by retirement. No prizes for guessing that's the last one.

Facing Ali, the documentary by Pete McCormack, brings us through the entire professional career of the man who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, and he certainly does. Through stock footage of bouts in the ring across the globe, "thrash talking" prior to games which brings us plenty of quotable quotes, and television interviews, we get to witness, as will others generation after generation, of a man who's the epitome of a fighter, possessing incredible speed in his footwork and dexterity with his punches, a body built to withstand intense punishment as dished out by opponents, with endless stamina to survive 15 rounds and surprising rivals with a sustained spurt of energized barrage of blows toward the end.

If you're interested in his life story, then you probably will be better off with biopics like Michael Mann's Ali which starred a bulked up Will Smith in the titular role. Here, we get the profile of the fighter through no less than 10 of his renowned, luminous rivals with whom shared sometimes one, two or even three separate matches throughout his entire career spanning more than two decades. It's full on talking heads, and through the relentless focus on building their back stories and gathering their recollections, thoughts and experiences fighting with The Greatest, we learn more of the man who has earned the respect of his professional peers, and I dare say almost all of whom have some form of reverence in the way the fights of their lives have shaped their personal and professional lives for the better. In many ways, we learn of Ali's immense influence and it is exactly these testimonials that genuinely reinforced his legendary status as the best the sport had ever to offer.

But in order to make this a fuller documentary, we also touch on the inevitable milestones in Ali's life, such as the influences on him in terms of politics with Malcolm X and religion through Elijah Muhammad, and how his refusal to be drafted for the Vietnam War since he doesn't have a fight with the Viet Congs, meant being banned and stripped of his title for years. But with stuff of what legends are made of, Ali still showed that he has what he takes as he went on to wrestle the championship back after that long a lay off, not forgetting that age is an inevitable enemy in this brutal contact sport.

And with documentaries, you'd almost always learn something new. For me, I've always wondered why boxers or wrestlers tend to prefer hugging their opponents whenever possible. Then it was mentioned in passing that doing so wears out the opponent. And it makes some sense, since the sportsmen weigh quite a bit, and resting that weight on someone else who has to stay on his foot and not buckle under those kilos thrown at him, just tests endurance and muscle strength. Now I know, as do I bear witness through archival footage of Ali in action over the years in one sitting, the strategy Ali takes in beating his opponents, compensating the lack of speed later with sly experience in taking on younger challengers, and how sometimes this sport can be dirty through throwing of games or through managers throwing in the towel, sometimes with good intentions though to discontinue the punishment and damage any athlete can take.

Pete McCormack also made the recollections of fights here interesting not only through stock footage but by having more than one of the peers of the time, apart from the fighter involved in the specific fight, share their insights to the same bout under highlight. Under certain circumstances some won't admit to losing until now, especially those who lost to Ali through decisions of judges, so I guess some bruised ego is still in place. And ego is something Ali had in abundance as he adopts a rather arrogant attitude brought into each pre-fight, which you can either call showmanship, or the use of psychology to rile the opponent.

It's quite the downer as the film wore on toward the end and the inevitable, where the curtains finally came down on someone's illustrious career, and in some ways the lessons learnt in knowing when to call it quits, though 8 million dollars to make a come back isn't something that everyone can walk away from. Still, McCormack's documentary is paced evenly and builds up the legend in a somewhat different fashion, relying on peers and rivals to pay tribute to one of the greatest sportsman of all time in the boxing arena. Recommended for fans and definitely a great jumping point into knowing more about Muhammad Ali and the sport he excelled in.

When I was 10 years old (in 2000) I first heard of Ali through a Nickelodeon broadcast. I was so proud of what I had learned, and what I had seen that I went to school and I asked the smartest boy in class "do you know who Muhammad Ali is?" He either said no, or gave an unenthusiastic nod of the head yes. I was shocked that no one in the class seemed to know or care about him as much as I did.

The show I had watched was "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: A Lifestory of Mohammed Ali: Mohammad Ali".

For YEARS after that I loved Muhammed Ali, just based on that show alone. I would talk highly about him on occasion, and even rented books on him. I held him in high regard with the likes of Bruce lee, and all the other heroes at the time.

Well long story short: I loved him up until I saw this film. This film was so crappy, and such a waste of time that I actually lost respect for Muhammed Ali as if it was his fault that such a crappy film was made.

What makes it so crappy? Well 1) Nothing new is covered. Everything I learned in that Nickelodeon program that I watched at ten years old is still here, and I would say that program was still better. 2) Not enough details are given. I didn't learn how he trained, how long he trained, what he ate, or even how he thought of felt before a fight. I didn't learn his inner thoughts or inner-workings. I didn't gain any insight or wisdom from him 3) there are too many replays and re-hashes of old footage, no full fights or anything enlightening.

Bottom line: It's not fun. It's a collection of sad sob stories with occasional praising of Ali thrown in. I would recommend "Nick News: A Lifestory of Mohammed Ali" over this because in that 30 minute I learned everything I needed to know about about Muhamed Ali, and in this hour plus program I learned nothing new.

IF ONE HAS ever been around boxers very much and gotten to know a little about how they form a sort of mini-society or sub-culture of their own, you already know what to expect from this documentary. As competitive, brutal and even 'barbaric' a bout is, the participants seem to have overwhelmingly become a sort of very exclusive fraternity.

THERE ARE ALWAYS exceptions to any rule, but by and large, the guys who boxed at the professional level are respectful, modest and quite unaffected by their prowess. They never speak badly of other 'pugs' and prove to be 'just reg'lar guys to the public at large. They have no need to prove their toughness outside of the prize ring.

SO IT IS to this exclusive world of former fighters that the production transports us to look back on the career of one Cassius Clay/Mohammed Ali. The story is traced from the earliest days as a young promising kid in Louisville, through his amateur successes; which culminated with his victory at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. There he won the Olympic Light Heavyweight title. This left no worlds to conquer in the Simon Pure, amateur boxing. So........

IT WAS WITH great anticipation that his entry into the Pros was met. He had already made for himself and the career in the Heavyweight ranks proved to be a meteoric rise toward the top.

IT IS THIS ringside observers' recollections that are captured with the extended narrative provided by names like: Joe Frazier, Ernie Terrell, (Sir) Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, George Chuvalo, Ernie Shavers and Ken Norton. There are many references to his 2 bouts with the late Sonny Liston and many now deceased fighters, such as Jerry Quarry and Floyd Patterson, appear in archival footage.

IN THE FINAL analysis, FACING ALI gives us the history of the Clay/Ali career in fisticuffs, told by both opponents and associates who were there as real and true eyeball witnesses. All is revealed to us set against the backdrop of a 1960-70s America which was going through some growing pains with the Civil Rights movement and the very unpopular Vietnam War being waged in micro-managed fashion by the Johnson Administration.

WHEN WE ARRIVE at film's end, we feel that we know Ali/Clay just a little bit better and he emerges a much more sympathetic character than our recollections of his earlier legal battles with Uncle Sam & the Selective Service System (Draft Board) than our collective memories had stored up.

NOTE: AS SORT OF a sidebar to the story, we recall having heard Ali speak of how he got the idea of being so highly braggadocios about his skills in the ring. He said that he was a guest on a noontime soft news & talk show in LA. Along with him as guest was Pro Wrestler, Gorgeous George; who wasted no time in using the airwaves hype his upcoming match that night. Cassius said that George did such a fine and entertaining a job that even he bought a ticket and was in attendance on that particular evening.

Excellent tribute to the sports and cultural icon. Well put together with really good interviews of his key opponents. Significantly different than the many other ALI films I have seen. (I had the honor of meeting Ali once at Radio City NYC)

This documentary cements itself as one of the greats in boxing history. Out of the numerous films, books, documentaries and other assorted material on Muhammad Ali, Facing Ali surely is in the top 5. With no interviews of the legend himself, Pete McCormack crafts an intimate and touching portrait of Ali through the eyes of his biggest rivals. George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks and Ernie Terrell all have unique voices into what it meant to fight the champ and on the legacy he left. Chuvalo in particular speaks exceptionally well, giving analysis to both Ali the man and the fighter. This is an unmissable treat.

Muhammad Ali is the link for narrating the personal and sporting life of him and of other great boxers of his time. Much more than a biographical documentary, this is a doc about political and sociological history of the noble art, centered in the years when Cassius Clay/Ali shined. By watching this film you understand why there are so many movies about boxing: boxers are very often underdogs with amazing life stories. What makes someone becomes a boxer, what kinds of life they have before, what happens afterwards... Spectator gets moved not only by the tragic post-retirement of one of the greatest sportsmen that ever existed, but also by the difficulties, breakthroughs, successes, dreams an falls of other fighters who have been strong opponents of Ali, having defeated him, knocked him down or just having a heavier punch than he was accustomed to. By thinking about those stories you can imagine many more movies that would have been amazing but that have never been shot. Ron Lyle, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Ernie Terrell, George Chuvallo, Henry Cooper... Perhaps someday.

There is no doubt whatsoever that Muhammad Ali is one of the most polarizing (and, yet, inspiring) figures in sporting history. Not only was he arguably the most talented pugilist in history, but his religious (Islam) and societal (Vietnam) stands are now legendary. This new documentary, however, carves out its own little niche in the history of Ali by telling his story not from his point of view, but from the men who battled him inside the ring.

This film really can work on two different levels:

First, for younger (or more "inexperienced" Ali viewers), it is fascinating to hear the thoughts of other fighters who stood toe-to-toe with the man. Whether it be his greatest nemesis (Joe Frazier), most spectacular upset (George Foreman), or just some guy from England (Sir Henry Cooper) that happened to land one solid punch, all the guests in this documentary have very interesting takes on "The Greatest". It is especially poignant to hear most (if not all) of the competitors thanking Ali for giving them their chance at greatness. For some, a fight against Ali helped put food on the table for their children, which is a side of boxing not often thought about.

For more "seasoned" Ali fans, who have likely heard and read it all about the man, this movie is still enjoyable due to that fact that you get to see all "the old gang" once again. Some guys (Cooper, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers) might bring back long-forgotten memories of the "golden age" of boxing, others (Frazier, Foreman) help you relive those epic battles, and one (George Chuvalo) will have you almost in tears from his genuineness. Plus, and it wouldn't be a boxing documentary without this, there are the crazies (Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes) that serve to really liven up the proceedings with their rather "colorful" commentary. Though it may be sad to see the former heroes of the ring in various stages of decay, it is still fun to hear from them once again.

Thus, I highly recommend this documentary to any and all fans of Muhammad Ali, or just boxing/sports in general. I have read numerous books and watched multiple videos on similar subject matter, and this one is close to the top of that list.

The movie set out to tell the story of Mohammed Ali through the eyes of 10 of his more noteworthy opponents and did a commendable job at that. Ali's story is well documented, however, and there's not much info we don't already know from a historical perspective. The unexpected (and perhaps unintended) beauty of this movie is in the honesty, humor, wisdom, sadness and humility of the 10 boxers who tell the story. Particularly compelling parts include: George Chuvalo discussing what it was like to lose 2 sons to drug ODs and a wife so distraught over it that she committed suicide; Joe Frazier finally breaking down and being moved to tears over Ali's current condition; Ernie Shaver's outright admiration for Ali and confessing that Ali truly did win their fight (he originally claimed he was robbed); Ken Norton's personal revelations about being down and out before the fight and the new lease on life his fight w/Ali gave him; and Ron Lyle's sage wisdom on not letting what many claimed to be a BS stoppage that denied him the HW title make him bitter and instead embracing the celebrity and opportunity his fight w/Ali provided him for the rest of his life. These are just a few but there are many more. I found myself compelled by the stories these 10 great fighters told (except for Ernie Terrell)and the movie left me with a new found respect and admiration for all of them. Even my wife, who is no kind of sports fan, absolutely loved it.

I can't imagine any boxing fan who sees this film not putting it at or near the tippy top of their favorite boxing movie list

"Facing Ali" is a series of interviews and boxing footage of various fighters who'd fought against Muhammad Ali. Most of the footage was stuff I'd seen already in documentaries such as "Thrilla in Manilla," "The Rumble in the Jungle," "When We Were Kings," and "Muhammad Ali: The Greatest" (2001). The most enlightening part of this particular documentary is the interviews.

They interviewed Sir Henry Cooper, George Chuvalo, Ken Norton, George Foreman, Ron Lyle, Ernie Shavers, Leon Spinks, Ernie Terrell, and Larry Holmes. In a lot of ways it was hard to watch because, with the exception of George Foreman, every fighter needed subtitles; their speaking was so unintelligible, and you know that's due to the amount of punches they'd taken over their career.