Directed by Michael Mann   Written by Gregory Allen Howard   Stephen J. Rivele   Christopher Wilkinson   Eric Roth   Michael Mann   Cast Will Smith ... Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali Jamie Foxx ... Drew 'Bundini' Brown Jon Voight ... Howard Cosell Mario Van Peebles ... Malcolm X Ron Silver ... Angelo Dundee Jeffrey Wright ... Howard Bingham Mykelti Williamson ... Don King Jada Pinkett Smith ... Sonji Nona Gaye ... Belinda Ali Michael Michele ... Veronica Porche Joe Morton ... Chauncey Eskridge Paul Rodriguez ... Dr. Ferdie Pacheco Bruce McGill ... Bradley Barry Shabaka Henley ... Herbert Muhammad Giancarlo Esposito ... Cassius Clay, Sr. Laurence Mason ... Luis Sarria LeVar Burton ... Martin Luther King, Jr. Albert Hall ... Elijah Muhammad David Cubitt ... Robert Lipsyte Ted Levine ... Joe Smiley Candy Ann Brown ... Odessa (as Candy Brown Houston) David Elliott ... Sam Cooke Shari Watson ... Woman Singer Malick Bowens ... Joseph Mobutu Michael Bentt ... Sonny Liston James Toney ... 'Smokin' Joe Frazier (as James N. Toney) Alfred Cole ... Ernie Terrell Charles Shufford ... George Foreman Rufus Dorsey ... Floyd Paterson Robert Sale ... Jerry Quarry Damien 'Bolo' Wills ... Ken Norton David Haines ... Rudy Clay / Rahaman Ali Victoria Dillard ... Betty Shabazz Brad Greenquist ... Marlin Thomas Morgana Van Peebles ... Malcolm X's Daughter Maya Van Peebles ... Malcolm X's Daughter Maestro Harrell ... Young Cassius Clay William Utay ... The Doctor Kim Robillard ... Jimmy Cannon David Purdham ... Madison Square Garden Announcer Gailard Sartain ... Gordon Davidson Wade Williams ... Lieutenant Jerome Claridge (as Wade Andrew Williams) Guy Van Swearingen ... Induction FBI Man Doug Hale ... Judge Ingraham LaDonna Tittle ... Bundini's Landlady Marc Grapey ... Bob Arum Herb Mitchell ... Boxing Commissioner Eddie Bo Smith Jr. ... Malcolm's Bodyguard Bobby Stuart ... Thomas 15X Johnson (as Bob Stuart) Patrick New ... Room Service Guy Ron O.J. Parson ... Death Newsman Ellis Williams ... Family Photo Man (as Ellis E. Williams) Alexandra Bokyun Chun ... Asian Cosmetologist (as Bokyun Chun) John Gleeson Connolly ... Assistant Director (as John G. Connolly) Warner Saunders ... Customer Jack Reiss ... Referee Arthur Mercante Marty Denkin ... Frazier Fight II Announcer Tamara Lynch ... Flight Attendant Chico Benymon ... Hampton House Announcer (as Theron Benymon) Bill Plaschke ... Miami Weigh-In Reporter Steve Springer ... Miami Weigh-In Reporter Patrick M. Connolly ... Announcer Patrick C. Russell ... Referee Robert Byrd ... Willie Reddick Cedric Wills ... Jersey Joe Walcott, Referee Ronald A. DiNicola ... Prosecutor Moses Hollins ... Man on Train Daniel E. Gurevitz ... Boxing Commission Reporter Steven Randazzo ... Reporter Ray Bokhour ... Reporter Leonard Termo ... Madison Square Garden Reporter Johnny Ortiz ... Madison Square Garden Reporter Mark Salem ... New York Reporter Sheldon Fogel ... New York Reporter Jim Gray ... New York Reporter Melvin Thomas ... Harlem Neighbor Natalie Carter ... Harlem Neighbor Reginald Footman ... Harlem Neighbor (as Reginald Barshem Footman) Poe Poe ... Harlem Reporter Mel Dick ... Louisville Sponsoring Group Kim Coleman ... Lana Shabazz (as Kim Taylor Coleman) Christian Stolte ... Miami Cop Vic Manni ... Dressing Room Weigh-In Guy (as Victor Manni) Will Gill Jr. ... Dick Sadler Sylvaine Strike ... ORTF Interviewer Denis Luposo ... Kinshasa Reporter (as Dr. Denis Luposo) Sharon Wilkinson ... Rose Jennings Carol Hatchett ... Pointer Sister Judith Mwale ... Pointer Sister Keabetswe Motsilanyane ... Pointer Sister Richard Katanga ... Mobutu Aide / Military Aide Thomas Kariuki Matheri ... Lieutenant Nsakala Larry Hazzard Sr. ... Zack Clayton Derrick Brown ... Larry Holmes Rommel Hyacinth ... The Pilot Graham Hopkins ... London Banker Daniel Janks ... CIA Man Bradford E. Lang ... Black Pilot Michael Dorn ... Black Pilot Dan Robbertse ... Reporter in Zaire (as Daniel Robbertse) Graham Clarke ... Reporter in Zaire Dimitri Cassar ... Reporter in Zaire Frank Notaro ... Reporter in Zaire Mark Mulder ... Reporter in Zaire David W. Hess ... Reporter in Zaire (as David Hess) Henrikennyo Mukenyi ... Bula Nathaniel Malekane ... Archie Moore Millard Arnold ... Doc Broadus Edda Collier ... Blonde French Reporter Yi Lu Wei ... Chinese Delegate Lee Cummings ... Hunter Thompson Zaa Nkweta ... Foreman Fight Announcer Themba Gasa ... Idi Amin Andrew P. Jones ... Don King's Aide Marc Kulazite Mboli ... Additional Aide to Mobutu Cimanga Kalambay ... Additional Aide to Mobutu Jean Bikoi ... Additional Aide to Mobutu James Gilbert ... Sparring Partner in Africa Uncredited Cast Dan Andreiu ... Fight Spectator Teddy Atlas ... Audience Member in Zaire Tony Babarino ... Police Officer Matisha Baldwin ... Club Patron Jon A. Barnes ... Ringside Photographer Harlan Bengel ... Reporter at Title Fight Jason Berry ... Cheering Fan David Bjorlie ... Dancer Greg Bronson ... Upscale Fight Fan Lionel D. Carson ... Dr. King's Driver Ralph Cole Jr. ... Harlem Resident Vincent Cook ... Jimmy Ellis Craig Cove ... Frazier Fight Reporter Ed Cray ... Radical Professor James Currie ... Court Room Photographer Vincent De Paul ... Roving Reporter Trish Dempsey ... Diplomat's Wife Donald Dowd ... News Reporter Edge ... Sports Writer Freda Nelson Evans ... Woman in Mink Josh Feinberg ... Extra in Terrell Fight Sequence Shane Fenton ... Audience member Richard Fitzpatrick ... Sparring partner Deborah Smith Ford ... Party Guest Patrick H. Fox ... New York Reporter Edward C. Gillow ... Foreman-Frazier Fight Judge Julius Gregory ... Bartendar Ross Haines ... News Cameraman George Hambach ... Induction Center Doctor Glen Hambly ... Ringside Reporter Daniel D. Harris ... Ringside Color Commentator Monica Haynes ... Concert Goer Maxwell L. Highsmith ... Nation of Islam Soldier No. 6 Johnathan Hodges ... Waiter Will Holman ... FOI Brandon T. Jackson ... Club Goer Kitty Kavey ... Waitress Spencer Kayden ... Dumbfounded Spectator Michael Keyes ... Dumbfounded Spectator Carolina Lancaster ... Dancer Pati Lauren ... Howard Cosell Aide Leon ... Brother 'Joe' Eric Lichtenberg ... Reporter Corey Lubak ... Swimmer Paul McMichael ... Fight Fan Valentine Miele ... Liston Fight Reporter Jermaine Montell ... Dancer Denise Moss ... Bar Goer K.C. Muskat ... Waitress John O. Nelson ... Louis Rodriguez Tracy Perry ... Usher Al Quinn ... Boxing Trainer Javier Rivas ... TV Reporter Hunter F. Roberts ... Angry Fight Fan Sheldon Robins ... Heckler Joseph Luis Rubin ... Blinky Polermo Wil Santiago ... Fruit of Islam Prince Shah ... Angry Fight Fan Raymond Spaulding ... Fight Fan Robert Standley ... Ringside Photographer Jack Truman ... Reporter Ray Uhler ... Ringside Photographer Larry Vigus ... Times Ringside Photographer Robert Warnack ... Madison Square Garden Fight Fan Nikki Williams ... Dancer John Wolfshohl ... Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini Graeme Wood ... Journalist Jackie Zane ... Fight Fan Produced by Paul Ardaji   Howard L. Bingham   Lee Caplin   Gusmano Cesaretti   A. Kitman Ho   Graham King   James Lassiter   Michael Mann   Jon Peters   João Ribeiro   John D. Schofield   Kathleen M. Shea   Michael Waxman   Original Music by Pieter Bourke   Lisa Gerrard

Additional Info Premiere: December 11, 2001 Theatrical Release: December 25, 2001 DVD Release: April 30, 2002 Blu-ray Release: January 17, 2017 Country: Distributor: Sony Home Entertainment Websites: Alternate Titles Muhammad Ali Production Companies Columbia Pictures Forward Pass (Forward Pass Productions) Initial Entertainment Group (IEG) Moonlighting Films Overbrook Entertainment Peters Entertainment Picture Entertainment Distributors Columbia Pictures   (2001) (United States) (theatrical) CBS   (2004) (United States) (broadcast premiere) (TV) Sony Pictures Releasing   (2001) (United States) (theatrical) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment   (2017) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD) Tubi TV   (2020) (United States) (video) Rating Stats Overall Rating 6.7 / 10 Our Rating -- / 10 Your Friends -- / 10 Male Users -- / 10 Female Users -- / 10 Site Ranking #1,624 / 21,103 Site Ranking #1,620 Broken Arrow (1996) #1,621 Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021) #1,622 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) #1,623 Trick 'R Treat (2007) #1,624 Ali (2001) #1,625 Bring It On (2000) #1,626 Widows (2018) #1,627 Wonka (2023) #1,628 Blood Simple (1984)