Don King: Only In America (1997) Reviews

This movie is alright. It spends most of its time dealing King's launch of the Rumble in the Jungle, the fight that made him millions through crooked closed circuit contracts and became a predecessor of the pay-per view garbage that ultimately ruined boxing. You get just a glimpse of the ruthless, dirty-handed, unscrupulous bastard that is King. The film only alludes to details of his dirty dealings (I'm sure there's legal reasons). Rhames actually gives a good performance as the spiky haired rat. It’s really very good for a TV movie. I hope King burns in the biggest pits of hell and that he gets there soon.
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This is far better than you would expect. Well performed and well written. His long-time wife, Henrietta, wasn't in the movie much. I know that he has been with her for more than fifty years. She even designed the home they live in and I wish the movie had said a little more about her. Otherwise - BRAVO! The other review seems to confuse personal opinion about DK with the movie's value. This movie is definitely worth watching. Personally (since that area was already opened) I place DK in with Billy Jean King, who brought tennis from near obscurity (once only for the wealthy folks) to it being reported in the sports every day. And with Tiger Woods, who has made golf worth watching on TV. Was Mr. King a criminal? Possibly. But, haven't we all done something we could have gone to jail for if we had been caught? Indeed, he has done for boxing every bit as much as these others have done for their sports. He made a ton of money but he made a lot of other people multi-millionaires as well.
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