User Reviews

The finale to this unflinching and honest documentary ended in tearful rapture.

Ali's greatness often manifested itself in cruelty. But he wasn't The Greatest because of greatness, rather his bravery and a goodness that coursed through him on a molecular level.

Burns and Co. Hammering home Ali's love rather than his ferocity was documentary perfection. The filmmaking team really understood its subject.

The final episode charts with Ali's most famous victory. The Rumble in the Jungle.

Seven years after losing his title, not in the ring. Ali knocks out George Foreman and becomes Heavyweight champion for the second time.

The people who blocked his doors to boxing were now fêting Ali.

This could had been the perfect end to a fairytale. The decline, rise and redemption.

Ali persevered and fought Frazier for the third time. The Thrilla in Manila left both boxers devastated. Ali won but the damage to his health was permanent.

His skills as a boxer declined, he managed to win the title for a third time but by the 1980s the decline in his health was clear.

When Muhammad Ali appeared in the opening of the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the whole world knew of the extent of his Parkinson's.

With Ali no longer a threat, he was lauded as the sportsman of the century by the end of 1999. Ironically in his prime, Ali was considered too dangerous to carry out his trade.

Ken Burns provided a fascinating series. One that added newer voices to the Ali story.