A sports fan, I am not. And to boot, I have a very low opinion of boxing. But, I was ready for Thriller in Manila because I know very little about Muhammad Ali and even less about his famous fights with Joe Frazier—the central focus of this excellent film by John Dower. As Sheffield Doc/Fest director Heather Croall promised at the outset, the film captivated the audience from the first frame.

Ali is beloved. He inspires people with his electrifying presence. He is a man of conviction and also a man who won when he stepped into the ring. But he also had affairs outside of his marriage, and to view his rivalry with Joe Frazier from Frazier’s perspective, he allowed his fear to turn him into a first rate bully. As evidenced by his apologies for his behavior over these incidents, Ali knew it was not his shining moment.

The story begins when Ali lost his license to box for his conscientious objection to fighting in the Vietnam War. For his refusal to fight, he was banished from his profession and stripped of his World Heavyweight Champion title. The then-open championship title was won by Joe Frazier. But Frazier didn’t want the title by default. He wanted to know that he earned it by beating the best, and the other best was Ali. So Frazier campaigned to get Ali back into fighting, which was accomplished after the tide of public opinion turned against the war. In their first fight, Frazier beat Muhammad Ali. It was the first time Ali had ever lost, and he was bitter.

The story that unfolds from there is unknown to many, and may bring Ali down to Earth in the minds of his fans, should they be brave enough to watch such a film. The beautiful cinematography, unbelievably rare archival footage (like Ali talking about speaking at a Klu Klux Klan rally!), and candid interviews with many of the principal players in the drama, including Frazier, their surviving ring crew members and many journalists who covered those auspicious fights, make this a must-see. It has been picked up by HBO in the US.