When We Were Kings

Name: When We Were Kings
Genre: History, Sport, Documentary
Released: October 25, 1996
Duration: 89 min
Rating: 83
Cast: George Foreman, Muhammad Ali

1996

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Universal acclaim based on 21 Critic Reviews

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Universal acclaim based on 21 Ratings

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8.5

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8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 21 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Gramercy Pictures (I) | Release Date: October 25, 1996 | PG

Starring: George Foreman, Muhammad Ali

Summary: An unforgettable account of the "Rumble in the Jungle," this Oscar-winning film captures all the magic of Muhammad Ali at the peak of his triumphant career. (Universal)

Director: Leon Gast

Genre(s): History, Sport, Documentary

Rating: PG

Runtime: 89 min

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Critic Reviews

100

David Ansen

Leon Gast's remarkable film -- which is intercut with terrific recent interviews with eyewitnesses Norman Mailer and George Plimpton -- is about much more than one stupendous fight. Read full review

100

Edward Guthmann

On a deeper level -- and this is where When We Were Kings exceeds its expectations and becomes a great film -- Gast examines African American pride. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Tightly made and populated by a uniformly larger-than-life cast of characters , pic is a total delight for every second of its running time. Read full review

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 by a handful of people (filmed by director Taylor Hackford, who wisely convinced Gast that these reminiscences and remarks would fill in some historical gaps). Read full review

Rita Kempley

Though the Oscar-nominated documentary captures the fight and the fighters, it also explores Ali's role in reintroducing black Americans to their African culture. Read full review

James Berardinelli

A wonderfully nostalgic, and occasionally insightful, window into the recent past. Read full review

Stanley Kauffmann

The film's title ought to be When We Were King's Pawns. Don King maximized the media circus aspects from the start, as the razzle-dazzle directing of Leon Gast, helped in the editing by Taylor Hackford and others, makes electrically clear. Read full review

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User Reviews

BhavikP.

Jun 14, 2006

very good movie the best documentary film i have ever watched in my life.

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10	#10 Best Movie of 1996
95	#95 Most Discussed Movie of 1996
34	#34 Most Shared Movie of 1996