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When We Were Kings backdrop
When We Were Kings logo
1996·Documentary·1h 29m
7.2
★
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.
Directed by Leon Gast
africa
boxer
black magic
world champion
zaire
psychic power
sympathy
endurance
sports documentary
power of love
heavyweight champion
boxing
racist stereotype
heavyweight boxer
power of the people
semi-biographical
boxing champion
soul music
african music
anti-racism
african dictator
black power
music concert
sports icon
boxing match
muhammad ali
power of positive thinking
YouTube
Trailer
IMDB
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Cast

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
Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Self
Mobutu Sese Seko
Mobutu Sese Seko
Self
Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Self
George Plimpton
George Plimpton
Self
Malick Bowens
Malick Bowens
Self
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Self
Drew Bundini Brown
Drew Bundini Brown
Self

Crew

Taylor Hackford
Taylor Hackford
Editor
Maryse Alberti
Maryse Alberti
Director of Photography
Albert Maysles
Albert Maysles
Director of Photography
Taylor Hackford
Taylor Hackford
Producer

Popular Reviews

89 reviews
Richard McDiven
Richard McDivenPRO
When We Were Kings
“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!”
“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!”
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Glockie3k
Glockie3k
When We Were Kings
Muhammad Ali the greatest talker of all time could genuinely convince me to run into a brick wall head first while blindfolded
Rest in peace to both and shoutout to George Foreman as well that grill went triple platinum in my house when I was a kid
Muhammad Ali the greatest talker of all time could genuinely convince me to run into a brick wall head first while blindfolded
Rest in peace to both and shoutout to George Foreman as well that grill went triple platinum in my house when I was a kid
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Mateo
Mateo
When We Were Kings
There’s not really a celeb that’s as simultaneously entertaining and very aware as Ali was.
There’s not really a celeb that’s as simultaneously entertaining and very aware as Ali was.
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Sam Bam
Sam Bam
7.0★ · 12/06/25
When We Were Kings
How Great I am! Great I am great I am!!….
How Great I am! Great I am great I am!!….
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Jace Fye
Jace Fye
9.0★ · 10/21/25
When We Were Kings
Sports documentaries are so fucking awesome. 
It makes you realize how cool anybody’s interests can be when told by the right storyteller. 
I’m not a big fan of boxing, never have been. A little confusing to me how scoring in it works. But, I of course know of Muhammad Ali. He’s a titan of human history. The slideshow at the end showed that exact thing. 
And it’s so awesome how people like him, and others that are masters at their field can be so confident when the odds are against him. 
Loved getting to hear about the fight, and all of the troubles that came with making it happen. 
Loved the interchanging of the story of the fight, and getting to watch the performances from the festival. 
Just loved it all, if anything I wanted more!
Sports documentaries are so fucking awesome. 
It makes you realize how cool anybody’s interests can be when told by the right storyteller. 
I’m not a big fan of boxing, never have been. A little confusing to me how scoring in it works. But, I of course know of Muhammad Ali. He’s a titan of human history. The slideshow at the end showed that exact thing. 
And it’s so awesome how people like him, and others that are masters at their field can be so confident when the odds are against him. 
Loved getting to hear about the fight, and all of the troubles that came with making it happen. 
Loved the interchanging of the story of the fight, and getting to watch the performances from the festival. 
Just loved it all, if anything I wanted more!
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