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Some historical figures are so towering that they become mythical. Muhammad Ali, the athlete, the man, the activist, is one of them. Ali’s life was under the microscope while he was alive, and it has been chronicled
during this century in films like 2001’s “Ali,” starring Will Smith, and Regina King’s 2020 film “One Night in Miami.” However, Prime Video’s “The Greatest,” offers a more grounded, nuanced portrait of a man whose family, talent and self-determination let him transcend boxing to become a global icon. From “Cross” creator Ben Watkins — and in collaboration with Ali’s estate and executive producers Michael B. Jordan and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter — “The Greatest” is outstanding. The eight-episode series opens in 1960 in Rome. Miles away from his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, 18-year-old Cassius Clay (an exemplary Jaalen Best) and his Olympic teammates explore the coliseum. Later, as his family tunes in via radio, Cassius wallops Poland’s Zbigniew Pietrzykowski in the ring and wins gold for the United States. Hours after the match, Cassius finds himself alone in a phone booth, calling home. When his mother, Odessa Clay (Dana Gourrier), whom he affectionately calls Bird, answers, the amateur boxer weeps in relief. These moments with Cassius’ family, who call him “G,” distinguish “The Greatest” from countless other biopics and series that have crossed our screens. Returning home with the glittering medal draped on his neck, Cassius is lauded but also thrust right back into the oppressive, segregated and deeply racist Louisville. Though his younger brother Rudy (Kai Parham) is eager to welcome his roommate and best friend back into the fold, and Odessa’s dinner spread rivals any Thanksgiving feast, the Clay household is not without its cracks and dark shadows. Stern and stoic with a simmering rage due to a lifetime of racial abuses and dreams unfulfilled, Cassius Clay Sr. (Omari Hardwick) has volatile mood changes. His love of his family is palpable, but his alcoholism, violent temper, philandering and anger are just as potent. By depicting the Clays in their full truth, “The Greatest” allows Cassius, later known as Muhammad Ali, to appear as a three-dimensional person on screen. The show chronicles the next four years of Cassius’ life, from his going pro to teaming up with his trainer, Angelo Dundee (Giovanni Ribisi); converting to Islam, and his friendship with Malcolm X (Michael Ealy) and his eventual victory over Sonny Liston (Amin Joseph) to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1964. Yet, “The Greatest” is at its most profound when it lets viewers sit with Ali outside the boxing ring. In this series, he is, above all, a young Black man coming of age in Jim Crow America and defying every rule society set before him. While the entire cast is stellar, particularly Gourrier and Hardwick as loving parents who have done everything in their power to raise upstanding (and Christian) young men, Best’s turn as Ali, one of the most enigmatic figures in our history, is magnetic. He not only resembles the dynamic boxer in his face and stature, but his voice cadence, especially when he delivers quick-witted rhymes and riddles to taunt his opponents and hype himself up, is spot on. This a credit to Watkins, who was willing to find a relatively unknown actor and give him a platform to shine, which feels increasingly rare these days. The series also depicts several stunning boxing matches. From Floyd Patterson vs. Sonny Liston’s 1962 fight, where Liston earned the heavyweight title, to Ali’s 1963 fight against Henry Cooper in London, the outstanding camera work from cinematographers Stuart Campbell and Jeremy Benning captures enough blood and guts to make audiences feel like they’re right there in the ring with the fighters. Though “The Greatest” sprinkles in some hokier black-and-white vignettes to show the matches, passages of time or Cassius’ inner monologue, it always quickly returns to itself. The soundtrack even features contemporary artists like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, along with era-defining songs such as Nina Simone’s “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” More than a show about men’s brawn, Watkins opens up the story, and lets viewers walk alongside Cassius, Malcolm X, Sonny Liston and Cassius Sr. These were Black men trying to stand tall in a society that didn’t see them as human. Weaving the narratives together creates a fuller picture of generations of men and women who, however imperfectly, did their best to carve out lives for themselves in a world determined to humiliate them. It’s especially interesting to see how Cassius and Rudy were drawn to Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, then led by Elijah Muhammad (Hill Harper), which offered Black Americans a different view of themselves and America, though many had long been loyal to the Christian faith. “The Greatest” reminds us that history is ever-present. The show profiles a young man who defined himself with youthful arrogance and bold determination, and who would keep standing up for his convictions, even when it cost him everything. By laying the foundation for who Cassius Clay was, the series gives audiences a clearer sense of who Muhammad Ali became and why his presence is so enduring.
All eight episodes of “The Greatest” premiere on Nov. 4 on Prime Video.
