“Ali was one of the bravest men I ever met,” Michael Mann reflects in his thoughtful guest column at Variety, and it’s a nice summation of one of the many sentiments that have been shared since Muhammad Ali‘s passing on June 3rd. The athlete and activist touched many lives, and Mann also got to spend significant time in the presence of the charismatic boxer. Ali met with the filmmaker and gave his approval to Mann’s biopic starring Will Smith, and while it might not be a definitive portrait of the man, it certainly captures his charisma, and the opportunity to see the movie on the big screen again (or for the first time) is coming this weekend.
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Sony has announced they are bringing “Ali” back to select theaters on Friday. There’s no listing of which cinemas will have the Oscar nominated picture (Smith was given a nod for Best Actor, Jon Voight for Best Supporting Actor), but it will be hitting a few hundred theaters, so if you’re in a medium-to-major market be sure to check your local listings.
Check out the trailer for Mann’s movie below, and if you dig more into Ali’s life, I highly recommend the documentary, “The Trials Of Muhammad Ali,” which offers a great warts and all perspective on his life both inside and outside the ring. [Deadline]