In theaters

ALI, directed by Michael Mann, written by Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Eric Roth and Mann, 158 minutes, rated R.

Michael Mann’s “Ali” opens in 1964 with a terrific blast of showmanship, one that fuses the political unrest of black Americans and the celebration of black culture to the man who would come to be revered by many as a major catalyst for social awareness and change: Muhammad Ali.

The film, which Mann co-wrote with Stephen Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson and Eric Roth, begins with a rush as Sam Cooke (David Elliott) belts out a searing string of ballads at a Harlem nightclub.

As the legendary soul singer brings the crowd to its feet, Mann layers Cooke’s vocals over a montage of Ali’s life, starting with his back-of-the-bus childhood as Cassius Clay – his name before he converted to Islam – and ending the sequence with his title match against Sonny Liston (Michael Bentt).

In a movie filled with memorable moments, Mann’s recreation of the Clay-Liston bout is superb, a beautifully conceived, blow-by-blow account that puts audiences squarely in the ring as Clay (Will Smith) scores a major upset by winning the match – and thus changing his life forever.

The 21/2 hours that follow aren’t as light on their feet, but the film never drags. As Mann condenses the next 10 years of Ali’s life, he lingers on its major turning points – Ali’s relationship with Malcolm X (Mario Van Peebles) and the Nation of Islam, his struggle to come to terms with how his fame affected those around him, and his near imprisonment for refusing to be drafted by the U.S. Army, which resulted in the loss of his heavyweight title and sent him into a period of introspection and seclusion.

Culminating in 1974 with the infamous “Rumble in the Jungle,” at which Ali forged a spectacular comeback in his fight against George Foreman, the film builds to a stirring conclusion in Zaire, but in spite of what its television and print ads claim (“Forget what you think you know”), it ultimately offers nothing new about the man.

The film is only an entertaining overview, effectively capturing Ali’s divisiveness and the mood of the country during the war years, but since it barely touches on Ali’s less crowd-pleasing qualities, such as his adulterous affairs, it can’t be considered a complete portrait of what were arguably the most defining years of his adult life.

With pitch-perfect supporting performances from Jada Pinkett Smith as Ali’s first wife, Sonji; Ron Silver as his longtime trainer, Angelo Dundee; and Jamie Foxx as Bundini Brown, “Ali” may not be the greatest film about Ali (that belongs to Leon Gast’s 1996 documentary, “When We Were Kings”), but it is engrossing and it does feature two performances not to be missed – Jon Voight’s Howard Cosell and Will Smith’s Ali, each of whom are outstanding in a movie that delivers a rousing – if superficial- knockout.

Grade: B+

On video and DVD

SOUND AND FURY, directed by Josh Aronson, 80 minutes, not rated.

Josh Aronson s provocative, Academy Award-nominated documentary, “Sound and Fury,” offers an intense, heated debate on the pros and cons of the cochlear ear implant – a device that has the controversial ability to allow a deaf person to hear.

To those who can hear, it might come as a surprise to learn that there would be any controversy over giving someone the ability to hear. But as this powerful, emotionally devastating film shows, there are two staunchly opposed sides to the issue, each of which is passionate in explaining either why the implant is crucial – or how it could wipe out a culture all together.

The film follows two related families from Long Island, N.Y.: Chris Artinian and his wife, Mari, each of whom can hear, and their twin infant sons, one of whom was born deaf; and Chris’ brother, Peter, his wife, Nita, and their three children, including 6-year-old Heather, all of whom were born deaf.

Chris and Peter’s mother and father can hear, but Mari’s mother and father cannot. As the film opens, the entire Artinian family is about to come to terms with what it means to be deaf when the merits of the cochlear implant are weighed and exhaustively considered in kitchens, backyard barbecues, living rooms and centers for the deaf.

Fear underscores everything here, but to Aronson’s credit, his cameras never get in the way of the drama as it builds or the rage as it flows.

Some might feel a documentary about the issues surrounding ear implants wouldn’t be gripping, but Aronson has mined a subject so explosive and unearthed emotions so raw, his film is riveting. What does it mean to be deaf in a world that’s so technologically advanced deafness might one day be a thing of the past? Rent this excellent film to find out.

Grade: A

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, Tuesdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5” and Thursdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5:30” on WLBZ-2 and WCSH-6. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.

Video Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? NEWS film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores.

American Pie 2 ? C+

Bubble Boy ? F

Glitter ? D

Sound and Fury ? A

Jeepers Creepers ? D

The Fast and the Furious ? B

The Glass House ? C

Greenfingers ? B-

What’s the Worse that

Could Happen ? D

The Center of the World ? C

Evolution ? D-

Two Can Play That Game ? C+

Moulin Rouge ? A-

The Princess Diaries ? C+

Scary Movie 2 ? D

Hedwig and the

Angry Inch ? A

Jurassic Park III ? B-

Lost & Delirious ? C-

Rush Hour 2 ? D

The Score ? B

American Outlaws ? F

Ghost of Mars ? C-

Pearl Harbor ? D

Summer Catch ? C-

Bread and Roses ? A-

Divided We Fall ? A

Made ? B

Pootie Tang ? D+

Osmosis Jones ? C-

Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch

Stole Christmas ? D+

Planet of the Apes ? C-

America’s Sweethearts ? D+

crazy/beautiful ? B

Tomb Raider ? D+

Doctor Zhivago

(DVD debut) ? A-

The Golden Bowl ? C+

Legally Blonde ? B+

Shrek ? A-

Aimee & Jaguar ? A

The Animal ? B

Swordfish ? C

With a Friend Like Harry ? A-

Dr. Dolittle 2 ? C-