12 best boxing movies, from dark dramas to musical comedies

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Biographies of real athletes, cool staging of fights and transformation of famous actors.

1. Raging bull

• USA, 1980.
• Drama, film-biography.
• Duration: 129 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

Aged boxer and trainer Jake LaMotta recalls his life. Once he received the nickname "Raging Bull" for his cruelty. Moreover, LaMotta's aggression was not limited only to the boxing ring. Close people also suffered from his actions.

One of the strongest roles of the legendary Robert De Niro is based on the biography of Jake LaMotta. And this makes the picture even stronger and more poignant. And besides, Martin Scorsese's film is simply amazingly shot and still looks exciting.

2. Million Dollar Baby

• USA, 2004.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 132 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Maggie, a 31-year-old waitress, dreams of boxing. And in the role of her mentor, she sees only the unsociable old man Dunn. But he refuses to work with the "girl" over and over again. However, after the loss of a student, Dunn still takes up Maggie's training, striking in her persistence.

The great Clint Eastwood acted as a director, producer and even a composer in this film. He also played one of the main roles. And the multifaceted talent of the author allowed "Million Dollar Baby" to take four "Oscars", including for the best film.

3. Rocky

• USA, 1976.
• Drama.
• Duration: 120 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

The film follows a loser boxer, Rocky Balboa, who makes a living taking out debts for a mobster. Suddenly, he receives an offer to fight in the ring with the world heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed. The thing is that he was recently injured, but does not want to postpone the battle, and therefore is looking for a weak opponent. Rocky decides to defeat the eminent enemy by all means.

This picture glorified the aspiring actor Sylvester Stallone, who had previously played in second-rate movies and even in porn. The image of Rocky Balboa has become a real legend, and Stallone returned to him more than once. Well, the film itself is considered one of the best dramas about sports and fortitude.

4. Knockdown

• USA, 2005.
• Drama, biography.
• Duration: 144 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Heavyweight boxer Jim Braddock is plagued by setbacks. After several defeats, he takes on any job to support his family. But fate gives him another chance. And Braddock makes his way from the lines for free food to the heights of the sports Olympus.

This film is based on the real life biography of boxer Jim Braddock. Russell Crowe, who played the main role, decided to get used to the image as much as possible. He brought himself into proper physical shape, and during the filming he fought with real athletes. This approach cost the actor several teeth: the opponents did not always have time to stop the blows in time.

5. Fighter

• USA, 2010.
• Drama, sports, biography.
• Duration: 114 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Boxer Mickey Ward returns to the ring after a series of failures. The hero is trained by his half-brother Dicky Eklund, who was once addicted to drugs and ruined his career. With the support of his brother and the woman he loves, Ward gets a second chance.

In this film, also based on the athlete's biography, the acting duo of Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale is most impressive. Moreover, the first one for the role swung strongly, embodying an old dream to realize himself in sports. And Bale, playing a drug addict, lost a lot of weight. As a result, Wahlberg even began to worry about Mark Wahlberg is worried costar Christian Bale has an eating disorder for his health. But their efforts were not in vain. The film received six Oscar nominations and two awards.

6. Requiem for a heavyweight

• USA, 1962.
• Drama, athletic.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

The famous boxer Luis Rivera loses the fight to his young rival Cassius Clay. Doctors advise an already aging athlete to end his career, otherwise he may lose his sight. However, he is determined to have revenge. And the manager of Rivera is trying with all his might to dissuade the boxer from the fight, since he got involved in a showdown with the mafia.

The main role in this film was played by two-time Oscar winner Anthony Quinn. And his young rival turned out to be Muhammad Ali himself, which made it possible to show boxing fights as realistically as possible.

7. Creed: Rocky's Legacy

• USA, 2015.
• Drama, athletic.
• Duration: 133 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

After the events of the first "Rocky" the main character and his opponent Apollo Creed became very close friends. And in the fourth part, the black champion died in the ring. Many years later, Apollo Creed's son Adonis decides to get serious about boxing. And in the role of his mentor, he sees only Rocky Balboa.

In 2006, Sylvester Stallone completed Rocky's boxing story - in new films he appears already in the form of a coach. And the main role went to the young star Michael B. Jordan, who perfectly played the daring boxer. Separately, it should be noted the staging of battles in this film: the film contains a four-minute scene in the ring, filmed without editing.

8. Lefty

• Hong Kong, USA, 2015.
• Drama, athletic.
• Duration: 124 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

Champion Billy Hope is happy: he has a great career, beloved wife and daughter. But after the tragic death of his wife, everything in his life falls apart. The Boxer will be disqualified and deprived of parental rights. Hope needs to find the strength to get back into the ring.

According to the original idea, this film was supposed to be a sequel to "Eight Mile", and the main role would again be played by rapper Eminem. But then the idea was abandoned and Jake Gyllenhaal was invited. Not long before that, the actor had lost a lot of weight while filming the movie Stringer. Therefore, Gyllenhaal had to train every day to urgently get in shape. Eminem also worked on the soundtrack and sang one of the songs to Lefty himself.

9. Champion

• USA, 1949.
• Drama, sports, noir.
• Duration: 99 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

Midge Kelly and his disabled brother Koni hitchhike to California. On the way, they get into trouble, and the hero has to enter the ring instead of an injured boxer. This is how Midge's sports career begins. True, soon he is faced with the cruel seamy side of boxing: contractual fights and bandits.

The main role in this picture was played by the legendary Kirk Douglas (father of Michael Douglas). This noir and dark film has long been included in the golden fund of cinema. And Douglas received his first Oscar nomination for him.

10. First glove

• USSR, 1946.
• Drama, comedy, sports.
• Duration: 79 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

An experienced coach Privalov meets a young strongman Nikita Krutikov in the park and invites him to become a boxer. He confuses everything at first and almost ends up in a rival club. But then he still achieves good success in the ring. However, there are several factors that can hurt his career. And Privalov is very afraid of them.

The energetic and funny film by Andrei Frolov became a real hit in the Soviet distribution. In the year of its release, "The First Glove" took the third place in terms of the number of viewers: the picture was watched by more than 18 million people

11. The second attempt of Viktor Krokhin

• USSR, 1977.
• Drama, athletic.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

European boxing champion Viktor Krokhin flies in an airplane and recalls his life path. Like many children after the war, he grew up without a father. The street taught him how to fight, and perseverance allowed him to become an excellent athlete.

Initially, Stepan's neighbor, in love with Victor's mother, was supposed to be played by Vladimir Vysotsky, but in the end the role was given to Oleg Borisov. Vysotsky, on the other hand, wrote the song "Ballad of Childhood" for the film, but it was not included in the first edition, since the author did not agree with the censorship edits.

12. Ali

• USA, 2001.
• Drama, biography, sports.
• Duration: 157 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

The biographical picture tells about the path of one of the most famous boxers in the world. Young athlete Cassius Clay (real name of Muhammad Ali) wins the Sonny Liston championship and becomes a star. His further fate turned out to be difficult: his friendship with Malcolm X, a change of name and refusal to serve in the army turned the hero into a very controversial person.

The role of Ali was played by the famous Will Smith, who received an Oscar nomination for her. And in the ring, real boxers competed against him. For example, Sonny Liston was played by five-time US amateur champion Michael Bentt.