Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Fully authorized, access-all-areas feature doc on the hugely charismatic and globally adored Usain Bolt – officially the fastest man alive. With never-before-seen archive footage of his youth in Jamaica, through to original footage that will be captured at his fourth and final Olympic Games in Rio, where he will compete for the gold in both the 100 and 200 metres races, for a third straight Games before his retirement in 2017. I AM BOLT will reveal the man and define the legacy of this incredible athlete.
I Am Bolt is a polished, authorized sports documentary that benefits enormously from its subject's charisma and historic achievements. The access is impressive — candid moments with Bolt's inner circle, training footage, and the Rio 2016 Games provide genuine intimacy. However, being a fully authorized doc limits critical depth, and the narrative structure follows a fairly conventional sports biography arc without much formal ambition. Cinematography is competent and occasionally dynamic during race sequences but nothing groundbreaking. Novelty is constrained by the by-the-numbers authorized celebrity doc format, despite the exceptional subject. The ending, coinciding with Bolt's Rio triple-triple triumph, provides a natural and satisfying climax that elevates the film's emotional payoff.