Reviewed by Ramona Prioleau

The Greatest, released in 1977, is a biographical sports film about the life of Muhammad Ali. The film, in which Ali stars as himself, follows Ali from his time at the 1960 Summer Olympics to his winning of the heavyweight crown from boxer George Foreman in their now famous 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” fight. It is based on The Greatest: My Own Story, a book written by Muhammad Ali and Richard Durham and edited by author Toni Morrison.

The Greatest is not a great film. The editing is atrocious, and the directing is haphazard and without identity. The film jolts and slouches with no real pace, and it is not really an easy film to watch. However, that does not necessarily mean that the film is not worth watching. The Greatest is the type of movie that one can be assured would unlikely be made today. It is curious and quirky; the fact that Ali plays himself is something that seems foreign in today’s Hollywood. Imagine, if you will, if Tom Brady announced next month that he would play himself in a film about his life. It would seem positively odd, and the mere oddity of this film existing shouldn’t necessarily be glossed over.

Ali was not an actor though and it is likely that he could have only played himself. However, the ferocity and energy that the boxer brought into the ring is apparent in his performance as a movie star. This is in part simply because of the subject matter and the events of the film itself, yes, but, beyond that, there is something powerful and striking about Ali’s performance in this film. That fire, the unchecked power that always seemed to be hiding behind Ali’s eyes, is captured by the camera brilliantly.

However, even with Ali in front of the camera and somewhat behind the script, the film feels far—too far—out of the boxer’s hands. The movie is whitewashed to a degree (perhaps unsurprising for the time in which it was released but still an important and troubling aspect) and the agency of the film never seems to belong to Ali. This is a major contributor to the sort of slapped-together feeling the entire film has. It feels like 5 different movies at once, 5 different ideas and visions all vying for the top spot and for the audience’s attention. Ali’s name is simply not enough to rise above all this noise; the film is in desperate need of more focus and more attention.

The Greatest is certainly not a top tier sports movie, but it’s still worth checking out. If anything, the film should be viewed both as a curious piece of Hollywood history and as a piece of boxing and Ali history. M

May 2017