# Don King: Only in America (1997) (TV)

### reviewed by
Brian Koller

    Don King: Only in America (1997)

    Grade: 83.0

"Don King: Only in America" is a biography of the colorful kingpin of professional boxing. However, it also works as a comedy, and as a commentary on how corrupting the search for wealth and power can be.

The HBO production, a made-for-TV film, is very daring in its depiction of King. He is portrayed as a pimp, a murderer, a numbers-runner, a liar, a thief, and a con artist, with strong ties to organized crime. One has to separate the real Don King from his portrayal in the film: I am writing about the character, who may or may not have done the things he is alleged to have done. How accurate the movie may be, however, is not relevant to its high quality.

"Don King: Only in America" begins in the 1950s, but moves rapidly in time to the mid 1970s. Don King is seen killing two people, the second of which puts him in prison for manslaughter. There, he dreams of becoming a fight promoter. Upon release, he has great success. He is a natural salesman and broker, clever with bribes and knowing what people can further his career. Gradually, he takes over heavyweight boxing, signing all the top boxers even as he cheats them of their purses.

There is a lot of profanity in this movie. It didn't bother me at all, as it seems natural to King's character and situations. My only complaints are minor: Darius McCrary plays Muhammad Ali well and has his voice inflections perfectly. However, he still looks like Eddie Winslow from the dismal sitcom "Family Matters." And the boxing scenes aren't too realistic: mostly one boxer beats on another with no defense demonstrated at all.

Ving Rhames gives a great performance as Don King. It is rare for a film to succeed so well when concentrating on a single character, but the character is rich and the portrayal is convincing. Someone remarks that King "could sell sand to a desert", and this is credible despite all of King's weaknesses. Waving a cigar, hair pointed up "to hide the horns", mixing profanity and invented (but very humorous, e.g. "negro-ciating") verbs, always with a briefcase of cash and a blank contract (to be filled in AFTER it has been signed), Don King may be the greatest swindler and deal-maker of our era.

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