After attending a screening of the much-anticipated Ali at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in Washington, DC, I must say that I was quite disappointed with the film’s often distorted and sometimes fictitious portrayal of Ali. What disturbed me most is that Ali's career has a clear chronology that the movie’s producers could have followed faithfully while still making an entertaining and exciting film.

To me, Ali seemed like a ham-handed revisionist effort that fell far short in its depiction of the important relationships that shaped Ali’s early career. Of particular concern on this count, was the sanitized portrayal of Ali’s former manager, Herbert Muhammad, the often manipulative and controlling son of former Nation of Islam leader, Elijah Muhammad. Far from being a simple adviser, Herbert was, during the period covered in the film, thoroughly in control of Ali's personal life and career.

Khalilah Ali, Ali’s second wife, told me that Herbert was Ali's puppet-master, which by most biographical accounts, he indeed was. Ali would consistently seek Herbert’s approval for everything from professional endorsements to romantic affairs. So to see the celluloid Ali rebuke Herbert was a joke and a distortion, especially after his comeback fight against Jerry Quarry.

Herbert was the one who arranged all of Ali's fights after 1966. In fact, Herbert was behind each and every one of the unsuccessful attempts to arrange fights for Ali while he was in exile from the boxing world. He deserves credit for making Ali, at that time, the richest boxer in history.

Herbert played a large role in Ali’s divorce of Sonji Roi, whose image was distorted for the movie as well. In real life, Sonji and Ali were very much in love. She wanted her husband to think for himself and to question the obvious contradictions within the Nation of Islam, especially the high-level corruption of the movement.

Herbert also had a significant role in approving Ali’s choice of his second wife, Khalilah, played admirably by Nona Gaye. And the film simply omitted Herbert and promoter Don King’s roles in Ali’s relationship with his third wife, Veronica Porsche.

The fact is that the Nation of Islam thoroughly insulated Ali from the outside world. Herbert was at his elbow wherever he went; and when Herbert wasn't there, he had Sam Saxon or Jeremiah Shabazz to keep Ali in line.

Also distorted was Malcolm X's role in Ali's life, as was Malcolm's own political evolution and split with the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X met Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King in April 1964, not later, as the movie portrayed.

I was glad that the film provided a lot of screen time for the character of Howard Bingham, Ali’s best friend and personal photographer to this day, who actually was there a lot of the time. Unfortunately he wasn’t the most vocal of individuals in Ali’s camp and was often ignored by Ali, possibly to Ali’s detriment.

The film’s use of artistic license extended even to the portrayal of Ali’s stand against the draft. His now famous line, "I ain't got nothing against them Vietcong," may have been uttered the at the urgings of his camp, as author Mark Kram suggests in his unsympathetic critique of Ali, Ghosts of Manila. Of additional factual concern is that Ali’s title was taken on April 28, 1967 on the same day he refused induction in Houston, not later; and his last fight before being suspended was with Zora Folley on March 22, 1967, not a month before with Ernie Terrell.

The Supreme Court decision reversing his conviction did not come until June 1971, after he’d lost to Joe Frazier in their first fight, not before. In fact, concern over the verdict was one of the factors that pushed Ali to fight Frazier so soon after his return, contributing to his defeat. And Howard Cosell, played by Jon Voight, did not call Ali to inform him of the court’s decision. Rather, Ali heard it over the radio. And Cosell, despite popular myth, did not initially campaign to have Ali re-licensed to box. And when he did, he was not alone. Sportswriters Jerry Izenberg and Mark Kram took brave stands supporting Ali from the beginning.

The Africa sequences in Zaire were pretty bad, too. Ali did not train in Kinshasa, but in N'Sele, about 40 miles outside Kinshasa. He did so to enjoy the solitude and avoid the crowds. So, it wouldn't have been possible for him to run through the city. Additionally, the graffiti on the walls, “Ali Bomaye,” was misspelled.

The fight sequences were also wanting. If the real George Foreman had scored as many clean blows to the head and body as the celluloid George did, he would have won the "Rumble in the Jungle”. A major part of the Rope-a-Dope strategy was Ali blocking and slipping most of Foreman’s punches and doing most of the scoring while against the ropes. Of course, seeing the real Ali fight was always the best.

To the film’s credit, the character of Khalilah Ali was done quite well. Of course, she is even stronger in real life. And when she confronted Ali about Veronica in Zaire, she actually scratched his forehead, a blemish that was apparent until a couple of weeks before the fight. And at that fight, Khalilah wore a George Foreman button to indicate her displeasure with how Ali was conducting himself personally and professionally. The real Khalilah is worthy of a story by herself, as is the late Cassius, Sr.

It puzzled me to see that Ali’s mother, Odessa Clay, who he affectionately called “Mama Bird”, was essentially written out of the story, which is a shame because of her influence in Ali's life. 

What concerns me most is that there are a lot of young people who weren't around during Ali's career or aren't inquisitive enough to learn more about the Champ. And unfortunately, this movie will provide most of what they will know about Ali.

There are just too many problems with this film, which is a disservice to Ali, his legacy, African Americans and Muslims. And probably most unfortunate is that the film does not deal with Ali’s ultimate conversion to orthodox Islam, which did not happen until long after the period covered by the film. From 1964-74, Ali followed the Nation of Islam faithfully, including belief in its convoluted mythology and other misguided doctrines. Ali remained in the NOI until Warithdeen Mohamed dismantled the corrupt organization in 1976 and embraced genuine Islam, which he faithfully adheres to today.

Well, I hope Yolanda Ali is happy. Through her title as a producer and as her husband’s latest minder, she's sanitized Ali for the mainstream. And, like always, Ali's in the backseat, letting someone else do the driving. But Ali is a real man. And his life is far more interesting, entertaining and inspiring than the two-hours plus that I saw.