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When We Were Kings
Directed by
Leon Gast
PG
1997
89m
Documentary
,
History
,
and more
7.9
100%
94%
7.6
Add to Watchlist
Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
More
Where to Watch When We Were Kings
Shout! Factory TV
Free
The Roku Channel
Free
Criterion Channel
Subscription
+5 more
Cast of When We Were Kings
Muhammad Ali
Self
George Foreman
Self
Don King
Self
James Brown
Self
B.B. King
Self
Spike Lee
Self
Mobutu Sese Seko
Self
Norman Mailer
Self
George Plimpton
Self
Malick Bowens
Self
Lloyd Price
Self
Miriam Makeba
Self
Drew Bundini Brown
Self
Odessa Clay
Self
Howard Cosell
Self
Wilton Felder
Self
Wayne Henderson
Self
Stix Hooper
Self
Stewart Levin
Self
Alan Pariser
Self
When We Were Kings Ratings & Reviews
Chicago Reader
Reece Pendleton
Gast does a nice job of building the suspense leading up to the fight, fleshing out the story with some good color commentary...
Film Frenzy
Matt Brunson
At the time, it was a given that Foreman was going to slaughter Ali in the ring; the beauty of this movie is that it shows in amazing detail the process through which Ali stepped up to the challenge and succeeded against all expectations.
Newsweek
David Ansen
Both a tribute to Ali and an evocation of a bygone era, it's about the transformative moment when black America, flexing its newborn pride, encountered black Africa.
Common Sense Media
Renee Schonfeld
Thrilling boxing docu covers race, politics; some profanity.
Nonfics (Substack)
Christopher Campbell
Almost too concentrated on Ali, but the story plays well with an exhilarating pace and plenty of well-remembered expositional details.
Old School Reviews
John A. Nesbit
Gast never makes a mistake by turning the camera on Ali-he comes through like a champ
TIME Magazine
Richard Corliss
If anyone deserves an award, it is Ali; his charisma makes the film.
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Dennis Schwartz
Wonderful sports documentary covering the 1974 heavyweight championship fight in Zaire.
Variety
Todd McCarthy
Enormously entertaining.
Washington Post
Rita Kempley
No comedian was ever funnier, no fighter ever faster than Muhammad Ali, who is caught at the top of his game in Leon Gast's valentine, When We Were Kings.
New York Times
Lawrence Van Gelder
When Muhammad Ali achieved victory in Kinshasa on Oct. 30, 1974, he did far more than win a prize fight.
San Francisco Chronicle
Edward Guthmann
By portraying the young Ali as hero -- and moving beyond the media image of the poetry-spouting peacock -- Gast reminds us that Ali didn't follow the path of earlier black superstars or earn his stripes by conforming to white society's expectations.
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
With the odds seemingly stacked against him, and surrounded by press, performers, crooks, and charlatans of every stripe, Ali triumphed, and he did so by staying true to his vision and trusting in his own talents.
Salon.com
Charles Taylor
Anyone who sees it and still thinks that the sport is two guys beating each other up just ain't paying attention.
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
By the time the fighters enter that ring, the excitement factor is almost uncontrollable.
Austin Chronicle
Russell Smith
A distinct sense of melancholy arises from this ebullient music and Gast's brilliant reportage of an event so joyous and heady.
USA Today
Mike Clark
Immeasurably enriched by extensive location footage shot by director Leon Gast 22 years ago.
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
There is a palpable tension, as the two men step into the ring, that is not lessened because we know the outcome.
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