Ali, the long-awaited biopic about boxing legend Muhammad Ali directed by Michael Mann and starring Will Smith, may float like a butterfly but it certainly does not sting like a bee. Solid acting and technical brilliance aside, the film plays like a two and a half hour highlight reel that neglects to develop its situations and characters beyond the surface for the viewer to connect on any sort of emotional level.

The film covers ten years in the life of "The Greatest", beginning in 1964 when Ali, then known Cassius Clay, took on and defeated Sonny Liston for the Heavyweight Championship boxing title. The film concludes with Ali's triumphant comeback in Zaire defeating George Foreman in the legendary "Rumble In The Jungle" fight. Between these two bouts, we are witness to selected events from Ali's private life: his dealings with the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles); his refusal to enlist in the army and fight in Vietnam (a decision that cost him his title and boxing license) as well as his several rather unsuccessful rounds in the marriage ring (one wife is played by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Smith's real-life wife and another played by Nona Gaye, daughter of the late singer Marvin Gaye).

Ali certainly has a lot going for it, starting with some excellent performances. Smith does a great job embodying Muhammad Ali's mannerisms and look. This role is a perfect showcase for Smith's underused dramatic range. Hopefully we can look forward to more serious-minded roles from him in the upcoming years. In the supporting cast, the standouts are Jamie Foxx as Ali's friend, Drew 'Bundini' Brown (an award-worthy turn), Jon Voight as Howard Cosell and Mykelti Williamson as Don King.

Be it Emmanuel Lubezki's atmospheric and beautiful cinematography, William Goldenberg, Lynzee Klingman and Stephen Rivkin's sharp editing or Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard's low-key but driving score, the film is a winner on a technical level as well. The production, which also includes a choice selection of soul tunes from the era, does a commendable job in bringing the mid '60s to '70s back to life.

However, despite the commendable aforementioned work, we still walk away from Ali with a rather empty feeling. The main problem with the film is that it lacks focus both in its screenplay and directing. The script, credited for four people (Mann, Eric Roth, Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele) from a story by Gregory Allen Howard (Remember The Titans), covers a lot of ground but never bothers to develop any of the situations or (despite the cast's efforts) characters (case in point: Ron Silver plays one of Ali's trainers, but has zero dialogue. Huh?). Scenes meant to be gripping are not and before we can attempt to register any sort of emotional reaction to the previous scen, we are whisked off to the next event in Ali's life. In the end, we know nothing new about the man nor do we have any sort of emphatic connection to what he went through to get back on top of the boxing world. It's as if I had been watching a near three-hour coming attractions preview.

This is particularly disheartening given the fact that Michael Mann was behind the camera calling the shots. Not only does he know how to make a film look good and keep it moving along (to its credit, the film never drags), he also knows how to make a film involving and intelligent (The Insider, Heat). This time out, Mann doesn't seem to have the right grasp on the material to make it work properly. Whereas his previous works built up to a successful payoff, Ali just seems to be in a hurry to get its story over with.

The subject of Muhammad Ali should have provided Michael Mann with the creative canvas to make a memorable drama. While the project certainly did provide Will Smith and Jamie Foxx with the work of their careers so far, one could only wish that it had done the same thing for Michael Mann.

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