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When We Were Kings

  • 1996
  • PG
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
19K
YOUR RATING
Muhammad Ali in When We Were Kings (1996)
Theatrical Trailer from Gramercy Pictures
Play trailer1:43
1 Video
52 Photos
BoxingSports DocumentaryDocumentarySport

Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.

  • Director
    • Leon Gast
  • Stars
    • Muhammad Ali
    • George Foreman
    • Don King
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    19K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Leon Gast
    • Stars
      • Muhammad Ali
      • George Foreman
      • Don King
    • 80User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 12 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    When We Were Kings
    Trailer 1:43
    When We Were Kings

    Photos51

    View Poster
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    Top Cast35

    Muhammad Ali
    Muhammad Ali
    • Self
    George Foreman
    George Foreman
    • Self
    Don King
    Don King
    • Self
    James Brown
    James Brown
    • Self
    B.B. King
    B.B. King
    • Self
    Mobutu Sese Seko
    Mobutu Sese Seko
    • Self (President of Zaire)
    Spike Lee
    Spike Lee
    • Self
    Norman Mailer
    Norman Mailer
    • Self - Writer
    George Plimpton
    George Plimpton
    • Self - Writer
    Thomas Hauser
    Thomas Hauser
    • Self
    Malick Bowens
    Malick Bowens
    • Self - Artist
    • (as Malik Bowens)
    Lloyd Price
    Lloyd Price
    • Self - Concert Promoter
    The Spinners
    The Spinners
    • Themselves
    Miriam Makeba
    Miriam Makeba
    • Self
    Drew Bundini Brown
    Drew Bundini Brown
    • Self - Ali's Ass't Trainer
    • (as Drew 'Bundini' Brown)
    Odessa Clay
    • Self - Ali's Mother
    Howard Cosell
    Howard Cosell
    • Self - ABC Sports
    Wilton Felder
    • Self
    • (as The Crusaders)
    • Director
      • Leon Gast
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews80

    7.919.2K
    1
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'When We Were Kings' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

    Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers in Rocky (1976)
    Boxing
    Michael Jordan in The Last Dance (2020)
    Sports Documentary
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    Sport

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      When the film won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, George Foreman and Muhammad Ali came to the stage with the filmmakers to show they had made peace. Foreman helped Ali, stricken with Parkinson's Disease, climb the steps to the stage.
    • Quotes
      • Muhammad Ali: It is befitting that I leave the game just like I came in, beating a big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whup him. That's when little Cassius Clay from Louisville, Kentucky, came up to stop Sonny Liston. The man who annihilated Floyd Patterson twice. HE WAS GONNA KILL ME! But he hit harder than George. His reach is longer than George's. He's a better boxer than George. And I'm better now than I was when you saw that 22-years old undeveloped kid running from Sonny Liston. I'm experienced now, professional. Jaws been broke, been knocked down a couple of times, I'm bad! Been chopping trees. I done something new for this fight. I done wrestled with an alligator. That's right. I have wrestled with an alligator. I done tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail. That's bad! Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick! I'm so mean I make medicine sick!
      • Don King: Bad dude!
      • Muhammad Ali: Bad, fast! Fast! Fast! Last night I cut the light off in my bedroom, hit the switch and was in the bed before the room was dark.
    • Connections
      Edited from The Rumble in the Jungle (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Am Am Pondo
      Written by Miriam Makeba
      Miriam Makeba Music (ASCAP)
      Performed by Miriam Makeba

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    Details

    • Release date
      • February 14, 1997 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Kelebek Gibi Uçar Ari Gibi Sokarım
    • Filming locations
      • Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Of Congo
    • Production companies
      • Das Films
      • David Sonenberg Production
      • Polygram Filmed Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,789,985
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $12,479
      • Oct 27, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,789,985
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 28m(88 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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