Don King - Only in America

Amazon.com

Made for HBO, this film biography of boxing promoter Don King is solid entertainment, thanks to a startlingly real performance at its core by Ving Rhames (who won a Golden Globe award for the role, then gave it away to Jack Lemmon on the TV broadcast). Rhames has the shuck-and-jive, but also the canny intelligence, as the film follows King from small-time numbers runner and concert promoter to ex-con to self-created fight mogul. The movie, based on a book by Jack Newfield, doesn't pull punches in outlining King's extralegal shenanigans and strong-arm tactics, bracketed by a device of having King address the audience from a boxing ring as he introduces episodes from his life. That could have gotten old, but not with the foxy, insinuating Rhames doing the talking. --Marshall Fine

Description

From the director of 2 Days In The Valley, comes ' 'a knockout!' ' (NY Post) From running numbers to ' 'The Rumble In The Jungle' ', from Ali to Tyson, Don King wouldn?t always fight clean, he wouldn?t always fight fair, but he would always fight to win.

Customer Reviews:

Ving Rhames was wonderful as Don King.......2006-08-06

The only things I knew about Don King was that he's a fight promoter and that wild hair he has. I like fight movies even if I don't like the reality of it. Weird huh? Ving Rhames was wonderful as Don King. I can understand why he won a Golden Globe award (which he gave to Jack Lemmon). Don King wouldn't have been so gracious. He was arrogant, mean (he killed a guy, beat him to death), racist (but a reason comes up in the film) and generally unlikeable. But Ving made him three dimensional in such a way that I admired King. He's smart and savvy (even if he does butcher the English language). He has a lot of spunk and drive. If he could have been honest with himself and others, no telling what he could have accomplished.

This movie has great moments. My favorite was when he was selling the idea of helping him get Mohammad Ali to participate in a fundraiser for a Black hospital. He was caught by a preacher and his wife using the MF bomb. So he turned that around in such a way that was hilarious.

easily, one of the best performances,best films,don't resist.......2001-06-27

it's been a long time, since i've bothered to write a review, seems these days, movies are all so, normal, nothing unique about them, it's sad really, this film, is unique, I relate this film to scarface, as well as blowing me away, ving rhames, makes you believe he is the great don himself, he took on the mob, and he lived, and he killed a man, and beat it, then he killed another, and he got misdeamanor, the man is a icon, one of the greatest showboats, to have ever lived, he's also very intelligent, and it's true, he shouldn't have got such a bad rep, but baby, that sells, violence, sex, crime, it all sells,the media, you know, this film is a 100 stars, if you don't see this, then I pity you, if you say this movie is ..., like reviewer number one, then your an ..., this film is brilliant, a masterpiece, this film is also almost out of print, obviously, like divinci, a true artist, isn't respected till he is gone, wan't a real world example? look at tupac shakur, when don is gone, no one will ever be like him again, so relish, his kinglyness, and buy this video, before it is, to late.

A Very Crap Film.......2001-04-20

Oh my God!!! Do not waste your time watching this awful movie with which has an even more awful cast...I think that one star is really pushing it as the film was so bad that I switched it off less than half way through. I am a great boxing fan and would normally love to watch any movie, BUT, I draw the line when the movie is so bad that you actually wish that you hadn't wasted your time watching it and would rather go to the denstist and have all your teeth removed with the use of acid (and that is without painkillers)... An awful movie that is not even worth a star - I just wish that it could be given a minus number it is honestly that bad!!!

I wish I could give this movie 10 stars........2001-04-15

I have never seen a movie where the main character was portrayed with this kind of realism. I thought it actually WAS Don King the first time I saw this movie. Ving Rhames should have won Oscars, Emmys, and every kind of conceivable award for his portrayal of Don King. I mean he even has the voice inflections and mannerisms of Don King down to such a science it is unreal. I have never seen an actor portray anyone that well. I wish I could give this movie 10 stars. Ving Rhames IS Don King, from beginning to end. The man should have won an Oscar and an Emmy. I can't emphasize ENOUGH how well Ving Rhames plays Don King. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this movie.

Ving Rhames IS Don King.......2001-03-28

Only in America could a small time numbers runner-con man from Cleaveland make it from a prison cell to being the most powerful man in the richest of sports...Don King is simply put the greatest promoter of all time and even in his seventies the man just flat out controls most of the strings of the sport. Ving Rhames becomes the character as we follow his trials and tribulations, and in a cool piece of screenplay, Don talks to the audience and himself explains what is going on in his life as he makes his way to the top, mowing away all opposition especially Bob Arum. Things still havent changed as he promotes most of the top players in boxing today, and will do so until he dies, if the man is not immortal.

DVD:

DVD

DVD