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The Greatest

1977, Movie, G, 101 mins

The Greatest: Review

Muhammad Ali portrays himself in this self-serving, turtle-paced biopic covering his life up to the George Foreman fight. It shows his beginnings as a fighter under trainer Angelo Dundee (Borgnine), his conversion to Islam under the tutelage of Malcolm X, and the stripping of his world heavyweight title after he refused induction into the Army during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, Ali the actor, while far from awful, isn't nearly as captivating here as he is in real life. There's no mistaking the unparalleled talents of Ali the boxer, however, as the film includes actual footage of Ali's fights during his rise to the top, climaxing with his retaking of the crown from Foreman in Zaire. The cornball title tune, "The Greatest Love of All," became a monster hit for Whitney Houston years later.