Thrilla in Manila

2008 1h 30m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 13

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On October 1, 1975, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali was in the ring with his arch rival Joe Frazier for the third time. This fight in the Philippines, which has been nicknamed "Thrilla in Manila," is considered one of the most dramatic boxing matches in history - in the words of the voice-over, "They hated each other." With the help of archive material and eyewitness accounts (including Imelda Marcos), this documentary not only reconstructs the match, but shows us what was happening behind the scenes as well.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Joe Frazier
Himself
Muhammad Ali
Himself (archive footage)
Imelda Marcos
Herself
Buster Mathis
Himself
Buster Mathis
Himself (archive footage)
Larry Holmes
Himself
Liev Schreiber
Narrator
Jerry Izenberg
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Dower
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

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Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kate Spankie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali and Imelda Marcos carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1330059 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Dower directs. Kate Spankie cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 18 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Editor Kate Spankie shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali and Imelda Marcos carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1330059 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.