Starring: Ving Rhames, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Jeremy Piven, Darius McCrary, Keith David Directed By: John Herzfeld Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC Label: Hbo Home Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: July 09, 2002 Running Time: 121 minutes Theatrical Release Date: November 15, 1997
Product Description: From running numbers to the rumble in the jungle from ali to tyson don king wouldnt always fight clean he wouldnt always fight fair but he would always fight to win. Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 06/01/2004 Starring: Ving Rhames Jeremy Piven Run time: 112 minutes Rating: R Director: John Herzfeld
Amazon.com: Made for HBO, this film biography of boxing promoter Don King is solid entertainment, thanks to a startlingly real performance at its core by Ving Rhames (who won a Golden Globe award for the role, then gave it away to Jack Lemmon on the TV broadcast). Rhames has the shuck-and-jive, but also the canny intelligence, as the film follows King from small-time numbers runner and concert promoter to ex-con to self-created fight mogul. The movie, based on a book by Jack Newfield, doesn't pull punches in outlining King's extralegal shenanigans and strong-arm tactics, bracketed by a device of having King address the audience from a boxing ring as he introduces episodes from his life. That could have gotten old, but not with the foxy, insinuating Rhames doing the talking. --Marshall Fine
King of Promotions I can watch (and I try) this movie everyday. If you are in the game of promotions its a must have especially if you are a minority or Jewish. It shows what real hustle is all about. Sure many people have a lot of negative opinions of the King but check most people don't really know his story. At the end of the day what i came away with this movie is that you have to fight for what you want it will not be handed out freely. When you have to compete with people with more money and education amongst other things they not playing fair and when you play by their rules you are the bad guy. Don King just mastered the game the created and he beat them at it by any means necessary and i for one am not mad at him. If he had not been to aggressive we would know about Don King because they would not have cut him in. The man is no saint but he ain't the devil either he is human. This movie shows the affects of what hard work and success does to a human being- It can make you hard. I loved this movie the casting is great!!! SUPERB. Darius and Ving did a hell of a job!! so did Bernie Mac... I actually thought Darius was more believable then Will Smith ( will was not bad just that Darius captured Ali better). Great cast, great music Banging Movie.
Simply the Best This is one of the best movies I have seen. Ving Rhames is excellent,at times is hard to tell the difference between Ving and the Don King. I reccommnend this movie to any boxing enthusiast, or anyone interested in Don King.
Thank You HBO Anyone who says they respect Don King's accomplishments after seeing this film and learning of what he has done to the sport of boxing and its inhabitants, need to be taken out back...
There is no praise-worthy form of corruption, I am sorry. You may feel a little sympathy for a pathetic character like that, but that person is not worthy of respect. Is it now tolerable to lie, cheat, rob and steal from another person? Is it okay to ruin the lives and careers of others for selfish purposes? All because someone is charismatic and personable? What is it all coming to? Pros: Ving did an awesome job of portraying DK. Honestly tries to portray King in his accurate light. Intriguing life, regardless. Good, solid direction. Great Ali impersonation. Good cinematography.
Cons: A bit rushed, loosely focused at times.
Rent it.
Only in America I received the DVD in a timely manner, it was in excellent shape, and so far I have enjoyed it immensely.
Ving Rhames was wonderful as Don King The only things I knew about Don King was that he's a fight promoter and that wild hair he has. I like fight movies even if I don't like the reality of it. Weird huh? Ving Rhames was wonderful as Don King. I can understand why he won a Golden Globe award (which he gave to Jack Lemmon). Don King wouldn't have been so gracious. He was arrogant, mean (he killed a guy, beat him to death), racist (but a reason comes up in the film) and generally unlikeable. But Ving made him three dimensional in such a way that I admired King. He's smart and savvy (even if he does butcher the English language). He has a lot of spunk and drive. If he could have been honest with himself and others, no telling what he could have accomplished.
This movie has great moments. My favorite was when he was selling the idea of helping him get Mohammad Ali to participate in a fundraiser for a Black hospital. He was caught by a preacher and his wife using the MF bomb. So he turned that around in such a way that was hilarious.
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