Top 5 boxing movies
It’s winter already and there’s nothing better to do on those cold windy friday nights than stay at home watching a good movie. If you’re in the mood for some family drama, anger management issues and great climax fighting scenes, here’s our top 5 recommendations:
- Raging Bull. (1980) Directed by Martin Scorsese, it is based on the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, who is most famously known for his tough character in and outside the ring and for giving the first defeat to Sugar Ray Robinson. The film is set in black and white to give the story a more authentic feel, narrating LaMotta’s personal demons, prominent fights and inevitable fallout. Starred by Robert De Niro, it received great critical acclaim and earned him an Oscar win for Best Actor.
- Rocky (1976). Undoubtedly the most popular boxing movie that made Sylvester Stallone a star. He wrote and starred in the role of a lifetime, earning him an Oscar for Best Picture and a nomination for Best Actor. The character is very relatable as he struggles to get into the boxing scene, finally doing so by fighting Apollo Creed the heavyweight champion of the world. In 2015 the movie Creed followed the story of Adonis Johnson, the son of Apollo Creed, who is trained by Rocky himself to continue with his legacy.
- Ali (2001). Making a movie about the greatest boxer of all time it’s no easy task. Directed by Michael Mann and starring Will Smith, Ali received mixed reviews and fell to impress at the box office. The film shows us the struggles of the fighter formerly known as Cassius Clay during the span of ten years from 1964 to 1974, including his views of Islam and relationship with Malcom X. Nonetheless, Will Smith managed to capture the character and was praised by Muhammad Ali himself.
- Hard Times. Starring Charles Bronson as a man of few words, this film is highly entertaining and shows us the other side of boxing we don’t get to see in other films. It is not set in the professional world of boxing, but in the violent alley and warehouse fights that serve to get some good quick cash. With a bleak and stylish direction by Walter Hill, it has become fan favorite and a staple of 70’s american cinema.
- Million Dollar Baby (2004). Clint Eastwood was at the top of his game when he directed this film. Starring Hilary Swank as an underdog female boxer and Clint Eastwood as his reluctant trainer, it shows the relationship between the fighter and her mentor ultimately becoming a tragic tale about loss, the struggle of a career in the boxing world and the bond between an athlete and his trainer.
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