A.k.a. Cassius Clay (1970)
*** (out of 4)
Richard Kiley hosts and narrates this documentary that covers the early career of Muhammad Ali, as the title states, a.k.a. Cassius Clay. Referred to as "The Louisville Lip," this documentary covers his early rise in the boxing ring and eventual fall from grace due to him dodging the Vietnam War.
A.K.A. CASSIUS CLAY is the film I watched the day after Ali's passing and it's certainly one of the better documentaries on his early career. The documentary ends asking if Ali is anything special to where he should be able to refuse the Vietnam war and it wonders if he will ever see a boxing ring again. Of course, we now know what Ali would eventually do in the ring once he was able to get back in.
If you're a fan of Ali then this documentary is certainly worth watching because there's plenty of footage from not only his boxing matches but also various press conferences and other scenes where we can hear his famous mouth running wide. The boxing footage will probably get the most attention with the highlight being the match with Sonny Liston where Ali finally broke through.