When We Were Kings
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76% Critic Match

When We Were Kings

The untold story of the Rumble in the Jungle.

7.6 / 10 1996 1h 29mPG English
DocumentaryTV MovieHistoryMusic

Storyline

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

Cast & Crew

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Self

Lead
George Foreman

George Foreman

Self

Don King

Don King

Self

James Brown

James Brown

Self

B.B. King

B.B. King

Self

Spike Lee

Spike Lee

Self

MS

Mobutu Sese Seko

Self

Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer

Self

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Leon Gast's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
4.0
Every frame feels alive. When We Were Kings is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker