Don King - Una storia tutta americana

Don King is a self-promoter the likes that few have seen in our lifetime. This film takes a novel approach to telling the King story, blowing KING up into as big a buffoon as possible, and using King himself (actor Ving Rhames) in telling the tale. I give director John Herzfeld credit-it's a novel and appropriate approach to the biography of a man who truly is more caricature than real.

Rhames gives an inspired and convincing performance as King, breathing much life into a film from a book that was for all practical purposes stillborn.

Enjoy the movie for Rhames and pay little attention to the details.

While there are a number of good points about the film "Don King: Only in America"--the script, the direction, the supporting cast--by far the best reason to watch it is Ving Rhames' stunning performance as Don King. Ironically, although King is an extremely gregarious personality, Rhames' performance wins through its subtlety. Through the slightest gestures and facial expressions, Rhames paints a portrait of a man who is both repellent and compelling. The best touch of genius in the script comes in the scenes when Rhames as King comments upon the actions and events depicted in the regular film, actually "talking back" to the camera, filmmakers and audience. (At one point, he even calls HBO hypocrites.) I have never cared much for boxing, but there is no denying Don King is one of the most influential and colorful personalities of our century, and this film gives us an insight into his life we would did not have previously.

The life of boxing promoter Don King was/is so varied and complicated that I would have thought that a low budget TV movie would struggle with it. But hats off to the producers and HBO, while not having fortunes to spend they have covered most of it competently and in Ving Rhames they have a fantastic star performance. In fact it is hard to tell him from the real thing!

As we know, boxing has a seamy side, but King seems to the kind of person that pushes the boundaries of even this biz. His silver tongue (he did a lot of reading in prison) tricks many a young boxer in to signing or doing what he wants.

From jailhouse to courthouse to penthouse Don has a quality that many an eel would admire. Somehow he always comes back from any setback and seems to be able to actually to turn anything to his own advantage. If you didn't know a lot of this was true you would call it over-the-top!

His early life as a numbers runner is not glossed over, although he portrays himself as being in the "hope business" and doing people a big favour. Even in charity he thinks of only one thing - himself.

This is great black (in more senses than one) comedy and provides many belly laughs - his treatment of Larry Holmes is a gem, even turning up with a contract on this honeymoon!

You don't have to be a boxing fan to enjoy this movie, but it helps. Boxing scenes are well recreated and the star performance by Rhames (who usually plays straight-ahead bad guy roles) is worth tuning in for all by itself. Very enjoyable and far more entertaining than many boxing films with several times the budget.

Even if you don't like Don King, you gotta give it up for Ving Rhames in this movie. He is an able portrayer of Don King, from looks to personality (heck, he made Don King a little likable!) The movie gave insight into a sport that you either love or hate - boxing, as well as a look into Don King's history. It made for good viewing and I found myself howling at certain points. A bonus for me happened at the end, during a three second stretch in which my boyfriend's head passed as he walked behind Ving Rhames and Vondie Curtis-Hall at LAX!

I would definitely give this movie a 10!

The best thing to be said for this film is that Ving Rhames, usually a supporting player, gets a role he can really sink his teeth into. He alone tries to carry the film with his charismatic, vivid performance. The film itself is typical made for tv fare-conventional, fairly unimaginative cinematically, competent enough to be semi-entertaining.