“Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”
That is all that was heard when George Foreman won his first heavyweight championship. He entered that match an underdog despite his superior size and reach, and he shocked the world when he knocked the then-undefeated Frazier down six times on his way to TKO victory. However, that is just where he journey begins. Thanks to Big George Foreman, we get to see his journey in its entirety, in one of the most accurate and faithful biographical adaptations that I’ve ever seen. Key thing to know about me: I am a big boxing fan, so any opportunity I have to enjoy a movie about a boxing legend is a good day. This is no exception, as my knowledge about this hall-of-famer, such as his hard upbringing and the fact that he gave all his sons the same name, was limited; Big George Foreman, at least for me, shone a light on a boxing figure who probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Particularly because not only is he a former world heavyweight champion who fought the likes of Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier, and Evander Holyfield, but at 46 years, 5 months, 18 days, he is the oldest world heavyweight champion in history. Khris Davis has the honor of embodying this living legend and gives a wholesome, albeit at times corny, interpretation.
The film starts us off at the very beginning, showing us how Foreman’s troubled childhood. The scene in which his mother divides a single hamburger up amongst him and his six siblings paints a vivid picture of what his home life was like. Despite this, his mother remained a steadfast and devoted character in his life, as once again illustrated throughout the film. Determined to bring him up right, Foreman’s path still deviated from the righteous path as he dropped out of school and spent time as a mugger. Once again, we get a vivid picture of this time in his life with what he is forced to do to avoid getting caught when an attempted robbery goes wrong.
This time period, before he became a boxer, sets the stage for why you should care about Foreman. It is the portion that humanizes him the most, reveals his desires, and forms the core relationships he will have for the remainder of the film, most notably with his trainer, Doc Broadus, played by Forest Whitaker. If I’m being honest, Whitaker is starting to feel typecast into this role of trainer and mentor. Comparatively, I think I prefer his role in Southpaw to this one. Nothing that Whitaker did specifically; it is just that in this adaptation, his character does a bit of a 360 halfway through the film in regards to wanting what’s best for Foreman to getting wrapped up in the glory of being the man behind the man. Though he does redeem himself somewhat, the two’s relationship never fully recovered from what I can see, as they end up clashing over Foreman’s lifestyle changes and boxing style. If I’m completely fair, I also did learn that the role Whitaker embodied was originally intended for the recently departed Michael K. Williams, and I do feel a sense of melancholy for what could have been.
For me, the in-the-ring scenes were the best part. As an avid boxing fan, I wanted to see how faithful these scenes would be to the real events. To my eye, I’d say they were quite faithful. The film leans into showcasing Foreman’s punching power and his impressive knockout percentage. There was one event that I was most looking forward to when it came to the in-ring action: his infamous showdown with the one and only Muhammed Ali in what is widely known as “The Rumble in the Jungle”. There was something very important to come out of that fight. A particular technique, which is attributed to what led to Foreman’s first ever professional loss: the rope-a-dope. I wanted to see how they would recreate it, and I was not disappointed. True to history, Ali (played by Sullivan Jones) purposely angered Foreman during the match, provoking Foreman to attack and force him back on the ropes, absorbing body shots and letting Foreman tire himself. Once Foreman tired, Ali countered more frequently and effectively with punches and flurries, resulting in Ali dropping an exhausted Foreman with a combination in the eighth round. Credit to the production with this recreation, as they went as far as to duplicate what Ali said to antagonize Foreman: “That all you got, George?”
Following this the film kind of lost steam for me, as it transpired in a matter-fact manner until we get to the circumstances of Foreman’s comeback. Once we get here, this is where things began to get interesting again, as the circumstances that brought him back to the ring are explored. Also, it is a period of character growth, as it is established that the man he used to be is not the man that returned to the ring. A question keeps getting asked, if he still has what it takes to compete at that level; through this character exploration comes inspiration. I will say the film leans heavily on Foreman’s loss and rediscovered faith. Nearly to the point that it felt like at times I was watching a Christian movie. However, given the film’s close mirroring of Foreman’s life, it would be unrealistic to try to exclude it. Additionally, the film does showcase the friendship between Foreman and Ali, which is a detail that I was not clear on prior to this.
While you should have no doubt that some artistic license was taken in the creation of this film, as I previously mentioned, based on my own research, I’d say that this was one of the most faithful adaptations that I’ve ever seen. While that lack of sensationalism at times made the film lose steam, overall this was an enjoyable and inspiration experience that I wouldn’t mind repeating in the future. Besides, who doesn’t want to find out the origin of and the circumstances that led to the George Foreman grill?
