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Facing Ali review
:. Director: Pete McCormack
:. Genre: Documentary
:. Running Time: 1:36
:. Year: 2009
:. Country: USA
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There are two dimensions to Facing Ali. The first one, obviously, is about the greatest boxer of all time, as the title suggests. However there is a second and quite unexpected layer to this documentary which reveals the poignant portrait of ten men who fought him and who, in the process, act as a substitute for the icon.
With countless documentaries, films and books about Muhammad Ali, Facing Ali might come the closest from the Boxer, rather than the man, as it makes us experience what it was to confront him, whether it was on or outside the ring — fights used to be preceded by a war of words which fueled his quite arrogant persona. By choosing to brush an indirect portrait of Ali through the eyes of the men who fought him, rather than through the testimonials of journalists or sportscasters, we get an inside look rather than viewing him from the perspective of a spectator.
While some of the things those 10 men tell us here are nothing new, mostly the fact that he was fast and tough, what they do emphasize however is his will, describing him as some kind of unstoppable machine whose mental capacity was as strong as his physical body — and this is certainly what separated him from his counterparts and made him a great champion.
But besides Ali's myth, which is the core of this work, what makes Facing Ali a more exciting film is the colorful gallery of boxers it introduces. While some names might be familiar, from George Foreman to Joe Frazier, what we discover here is a group of wise, charming and usually humorous men who manage to elevate themselves beyond the aura of their still quite menacing bodies and past — some were thugs, one was a murderer.
What links all these men to each other — and they know it — is that fighting Ali gave them their 15 minutes of fame, which they embraced with various results. Some took this opportunity to rise — see Mr. Foreman — while others fell into oblivion — and the film features some very poignant testimonials of some of the men who lost it all, including their families. Despite different fates and whatever the outcome of their fight — two of them were able to beat Ali — you can't help noticing how much respect they still have for their past nemesis, even though he wasn't tender with them on or outside of the ring — some of these verbal exchanges proved to be hilarious.
What probably undermines the impact of this documentary is the fact the filmmakers try to give us a glimpse at the life of the man, rather than just focusing on the champion. While it's understandable that they might try to give background information to spectators that might not be familiar with his life, they do not have enough time to craft the thorough portrait that was needed. There would have been much to say about his influence and actions, whether it was as a poster boy for Islam, the anti-war movement or the black community. Even though the film doesn't pull any punch, implying he was used for his popularity, Facing Ali skims over interesting points and should have instead focused on the boxer, rather than giving us a superficial look at the public figure.
While Facing Ali pays a great homage to Mr. Ali, you can't help feel a certain sadness, knowing that the men he beat up actually survived him, and are in better shape than what he actually is — he now suffers from Parkinson's disease and is a ghost of what he used to be. But maybe that's also the beauty of this story, that these men are still standing, transcending his strength to keep his myth alive.
Fred Thom
 Documentary Reviews: 1998 - 2011
Documentary Reviews: 2012 - present
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