Otto Part's top - Boxing Films (14 titles)
My favourate boxing movies in descending order...
Homeboy
12. A pre-cursor to 'The Wrestler'. A mediocre film, but evidence that Mickey Rourke hasn't just all of a sudden learnt to act as the press seem to be saying at the moment. An outstanding performance in a custom made role.
-
-
Homeboy
on DVD
(1988)
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken, Debra Feuer
Director: Michael Seresin
Certificate:
Johnny Walker (Mickey Rourke) is a "punch-drunk" boxer. He's a bit old to keep on boxing but it's the only thing that he does well. He's in love with Ruby (Debra Feuer) but is too shy to tell her. Johnny meets Wesley (Christopher Walken), a smooth-talking wise-guy who is torn between greed and his ..read more »
54%
from 86 members
The Great White Hope
11. Not the film it should have been, BUT... The Jack Johnson story is one of the most fascinating and tragic in sport. This is one of the great screen performances from James Earl Jones.
-
-
The Great White Hope
(1970)
Starring: James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Lou Gilbert
Director: Martin Ritt
Certificate:
A black champion boxer and his white female companion struggle to survive while the white boxing establishment looks for ways to knock him down.
53%
from 3 members
Fat City
10. It's a shame this film seems to have disappeared. It's a gem.
-
-
Fat City
(1972)
Starring: Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, Susan Tyrrell
Director: John Huston
Certificate:
The film tells the story of two boxers and their problems. One of them is on the decline of his career.
67%
from 34 members
Champion
9. Kirk Douglas's debut. A classic.
-
-
Champion
on DVD
(1949)
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Maxwell, Arthur Kennedy
Director: Mark Robson
Certificate:
This film made Kirk Douglas a big star in Hollywood. It exposes the unscrupulous and corrupt side of the boxing profession.
68%
from 18 members
The Quiet Man
8. John Wayne plays a retired fighter in this John Ford classic. Has to be on this list because it has one of cinema's all time classic fights.
-
-
The Quiet Man
on DVD
(1952)
Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen
Director: John Ford
Certificate:
One of John Ford's most cherished projects, THE QUIET MAN took years to finance but became one of his greatest box-office successes and an enduringly beloved classic. John Wayne stars as Sean Thornton, a retired American boxing champion trying to put tragedy behind him by returning to Innisfree, ..read more »
72%
from 2,404 members
Hard Times
7. More about bare knuckle fighting. Charles Bronson lives up to his legend. He oozes presence. Great, great last line.
-
-
Hard Times
on DVD
(1975)
Starring: Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, James Coburn
Director: Walter Hill
Certificate:
Writer-director Hill's first feature is a picturesque action film about a bareknuckle streetfighter (Bronson) who drifts into Depression-era New Orleans and hooks up with a small-time gambler. The gambler takes over the boxer's career, arranging illegal fights and involving him in a scheme to ..read more »
68%
from 482 members
Body and Soul
6. The greatest of many boxing film noir movies from this era.
-
-
Body and Soul
on DVD
(1947)
Starring: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks
Director: Robert Rossen
Certificate:
Charlie Davis, a boxer from New York's East Side, has fought his way out of the slums to become a world title holder, but has sold his soul along the way. Under the ownership of a corrupt promoter he is about to defend is crown and must face the biggest decision of his life if he is to redeem himself.
68%
from 202 members
The Harder They Fall
5. Bogie in a parody of the fascinating Primo Carnera story. Carnera actually sued the studio over this film. He lost. Impoverished, he became a wrestler in the fifties.
-
-
The Harder They Fall
on DVD
(1956)
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling
Director: Mark Robson
Certificate:
Bud Schulberg's novel is brought to the screen with distinction by Humphrey Bogart in this, his last, role. Eddie Willis (Bogart) is an unemployed sportswriter hired to write about Argentinean boxer Toto Moreno by the boxer's corrupt manager Nick Benko (Rod Steiger). Willis is on the level in the ..read more »
65%
from 379 members
The Boxer
4. Daniel Day Lewis. Emily Watson. Brian Cox. Jim Sheridan.
-
-
The Boxer
on DVD
(1997)
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Brian Cox
Director: Jim Sheridan
Certificate:
A man returning to his home town after serving fourteen years in jail attempts to pick up where he left off...
66%
from 1,416 member
Rocky
3. A much adored classic. A career peak for Sylvester Stallone (as leading man and writer).
-
-
Rocky
on DVD
(1976)
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith
Director: John G. Avildsen
Certificate:
Director John G. Avildsen's ROCKY is the stand-up-and-cheer saga of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), an underdog boxer who gets his million-to-one shot at love, self-respect, and the world heavyweight title. Rocky is a down-on-his-luck Philadelphia southpaw who works at a meat-packing factory ..read more »
70%
from 18,196 members
Average rating for this collection:
Report offending content.
Bookmark or Share
Similar collections
Exceptional Films (201)
The Good Stuff (157)
- by: Paul Clyne from Scotland
-
-
by:
Tolis
from Kent
-
- by: chris bouffard from London
-
Entertainment (66)
