Proves that, no matter what punches were thrown at him, no one ever wiped that triumphant smile off of Jack Johnson's face.

The archival footage alone justifies the entire enterprise.

Burns's footage of Johnson in action is astounding, and the commentary from Stanley Crouch, Gerald Early and James Earl Jones provides acerbic, one-two punching Black male insights.

Burns brings forth many impressive historical details, all contextualized within the overarching story of Race in America. Hours later, you are left with what feels like a genuine sense of what made the guy tick, and the world that he inhabited. Yet anoth