What's My Name: Muhammad Ali

Great doc but I'll take two stars away for two MASSIVE omissions. One is Howard Cosell's iconic proclamation during the second Frazier fight of, "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!", and secondly, the chant of Zaire children before the Foreman fight of "Ali, boma ye!!" (Ali, kill him!") which was also equally iconic. These two sayings are incomparable benchmarks during his legendary run. A pure icon. The truth.

One's enjoyment of "What's My Name" can, I think, be anticipated with a simple question: how much do you already know about Ali? If little, you'll love this. If much, you'll be entertained but likely not put it in the upper echelon of Ali docs.

I fall into the latter camp of that previous question, having read multiple books on Ali and pretty much seen all the relevant docs. When I saw the title of this HBO production, I thought that it would delve more into the social/political side of Ali, but instead it proved to be pretty much a straight bio of his career both inside and outside the boxing ring.

Because it is HBO at the wheel, the production value could not be higher and it does pull out some photos/videos I had never seen before. However, as a seasoned Ali scholar, I couldn't help but be slightly disappointed that "What's My Name" didn't "pick a lane, so to speak", and try to examine one issue of his life instead of tackling the whole ball of wax. Because I this, I have to rate 2009's "Facing Ali" and 2014's "I Am Ali" as better docs overall.

All of that being said, if this is perhaps the first Ali doc a viewer has ever watched, it will make quite an impression, as it does hit all the relevant points in his life and contains great music and interviews. It's long--nearly three hours--but never feels boring or slow.

So, ultimately, one's appreciation of "What's My Name" will almost certainly be determined by what they've seen of him before. Anyone can enjoy this, but Ali "scholars" may struggle with the lack of any new angle.

HBO doing wonders as usual with this inspiring and gripping documentary of Muhammad Ali. Perfectly capturing Ali for who he is and what he was about. The impact he had on those around him is clearly evident and you feel a connection with Ali while watching this masterpiece. This would definitely be the first Muhammad Ali documentary I would recommend to anyone if they were interested in learning about Ali.

This is a much watch. Boxing fan or not. A humanitarian civil rights freedom fighter, truly the greatest champion of the world. May he Rest In Peace. If he was the current role model rather than rapping gangsters, the world would've been a much better place.

I don't want to spoil anything. You don't want to miss this! One of best docs I've ever seen. The film which Muhammed Ali deserved. Not a second wasted. Pure greatness! Go watch it now!