Product Details

• Actors: Ving Rhames, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Jeremy Piven, Darius McCrary, Keith David
• Directors: John Herzfeld
• Writers: Jack Newfield, Kario Salem
• Producers: David Blocker, David Gaines, Thomas Carter
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• VHS Release Date: January 26, 1999
• Run Time: 121 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0783112602
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,456 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give this movie 10 stars., April 14, 2001

By 

"staton" (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don King - Only In America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ving Rhames IS Don King, March 27, 2001

By 

John Smith (Parts Unknown) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don King - Only In America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easily, one of the best performances,best films,don't resist, June 26, 2001

By 

Michael Cellio (rochester, new hampshire USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don King - Only In America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.