On Beyond Rocky: great boxing films

[girlbug2]

Cinderella Man was very inspiring to me. The buried message --know what you are fighting for -- added a new dimension to my own MA training.

Not to mention, a great cast who gave solid performances.

For completely different reasons, I enjoyed watching The Hammer last week. I'd almost not classify it as a boxing movie because the plot was really more of a romantic comedy, except -- Adam Carolla actually can box! Quite well, as it turns out. But of course, he's also hilarious, and there were some great lines in there. Okay, it's not exactly a "great boxing film" but I wanted to give it a little recognition .

What do you feel are the best boxing films of all time?

 

[Nolerama]

I liked Champion.

 

[bluekey88]

Raging Bull

Million Dollar baby

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Requiem for a Heavyweight.

 

[girlbug2]

Thanks Bill, I just added that to my Netflix queue.

 

[elder999]

Requiem for a Heavyweight.

That was a teleplay, but Rod Serling was the man, and Anthony Quinn was great! (I'm in Pittsburgh, and it's raining. :lol: )

I liked Champion.

Brilliantly done-though, sadly, no one ever recalls how that fight affected Ray "Bom-boom" Mancini-he was never the same after that. He still has a hard time with it.

Raging Bull, Somebody Up There Likes Me, and the original The Champ-1931, Jackie Cooper....

.......don't know if Hard Times counts as "boxing," but Walter Hill with Bronson and Coburn?

 

[destructautomaton]

Hard times is definitely underappreciated.

Raging Bull definitely took a different approach making the fights an extension of the character.

The Boxer with daniel day lewis was an interesting approach too.

 

[Tames D]

The Hurricane starring Denzel Washinton about the life of Ruben 'Hurricane' Carter.

Boxing Helena starring Sherilyn Fenn about a woman who... uh nevermind, different kind of boxing movie.

 

[Tames D]

 

[matt.m]

No one has mentioned Diggstown yet. Oh man, that movie was funny. It had James Woods and Louis Gosett Jr. in it.

Carmen Chamion, Fighting Tommy Riley, and Gladiator. They were good and under appreciated.

 

[MA-Caver]

I do like boxing movies ... when they're done well.. like the first TWO Rocky's, rarely has a sequel equaled or surpassed the original.

As someone mentioned some boxing comedies... for me... Abbott and Costello Meet The Invisible Man... yep it was a boxer.

There is a hilarious scene in the Charlie Chaplin masterpiece "City Lights" where he tries to raise money by entering into a boxing match. Makes you wonder why boxers don't use the refs the way Chaplin did. :lol:

I haven't been able to sit down to the so-called DiNiro/Scorcese tour de force Raging Bull yet... at least not all the way through. Gonna have to find a decent DVD to sit down with it. I did the same with Citizen Kane... and you know what... I wasn't THAT impressed with it. :idunno: can't say about Bull... until I've seen it in it's entireity.

 

[terryl965]

The Champ, about a boxer that needs to win to save his family and winds up dieing in the ring. Graet movie.

 

[Sukerkin]

I have to add a +1 for "Million Dollar Baby". It's one of those movies that can make a grown man cry (well it did me at any rate). Powerful stuff.

 

[Brian Jones]

Cinderella Man

 

[punisher73]

I agree with Cinderlla Man and Million Dollar Baby, both really good movies.

If you like comedies, I really liked "Play it to the Bone" with Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson. Not a "total" movie about boxing, but i thought it was good anyways.

 

[takadadojokeith]

The Ali/Foreman documentary When We Were Kings is the best boxing movie I've ever seen, partly because of the history it records and partially because Norman Mailer's commentary.

 

[Indagator]

Some really good ones already mentioned.

There was one I saw years ago which had Cuba Gooding Jr in it - it was called Gladiator. No connection to the Russell Crowe film though...

It was pretty good.