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Otto Part's top - Boxing Films (14 titles)

My favourate boxing movies in descending order...

by: A customer

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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 »
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- 60
- from 142 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, 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.
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- 50
- from 8 members
Currently unavailable

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:
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The film tells the story of two boxers and their problems. One of them is on the decline of his career.
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- 70
- from 95 members
Currently unavailable

Champion

9. Kirk Douglas's debut. A classic.

Champion on DVD (1949)
Starring: Ruth Roman, Marilyn Maxwell, Kirk Douglas
Director: Mark Robson
Certificate:
Kirk Douglas was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a champion boxer who alienates his friends and family in his pursuit of greatness. He even stands up against the syndicate who want him to throw a fight. He refuses and the mob bosses put a price on his head - a hit he only survives with ..read more »
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- 70
- from 64 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 (1952)
Starring: Ward Bond, Mildred Natwick, John Wayne
Director: John Ford
Certificate:
Returning to the Ireland of his birth, director John Ford fashions a irresistable valentine to the Auld Sod in The Quiet Man. Irish-American boxer John Wayne, recovering from the trauma of having accidentally killed a man in the ring, arrives in the Irish village where he was born. Hoping to bury ..read more »
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- 70
- from 2908 members
Currently unavailable

Hard Times

7. More about bare knuckle fighting. Charles Bronson lives up to his legend. He oozes presence. Great, great last line.

Hard Times (1975)
Starring: Strother Martin, James Coburn, Charles Bronson
Director: Walter Hill
Certificate:
In Depression New Orleans, bare knuckles boxer Chaney (Charles Bronson) teams up with gambler-turned-promoter Speed (James Coburn) to enter a series of illegal prize fights. Chaney's relationship with girlfriend Lucy (Jill Ireland) suffers under the strain of his fighting career, which is itself ..read more »
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- 70
- from 629 members
Currently unavailable

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.
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- 70
- from 305 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: Edward Andrews, Rod Steiger, Jan Sterling
Director: Mark Robson
Certificate:
Humphrey Bogart stars in his final screen role as a sports writer who takes a job as publicist for a boxer. The boxer is controlled by the mob, who attempt to force the writer to fix a fight.
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- 70
- from 504 members

The Boxer

4. Daniel Day Lewis. Emily Watson. Brian Cox. Jim Sheridan.

The Boxer on DVD (1997)
Starring: Emily Watson, Brian Cox, Gerard McSorley
Director: Jim Sheridan
Certificate:
Jim Sheridan (In the Name of the Father) directed this drama about a Belfast boxer, filmed with Dublin locations substituting for Belfast. Released after his 14-year prison sentence for IRA activities, 32-year-old Danny Flynn (Daniel Day-Lewis) returns to his old neighborhood and sees former-flame ..read more »
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- 70
- from 1966 members

Rocky

3. A much adored classic. A career peak for Sylvester Stallone (as leading man and writer).

Rocky on DVD (1976)
Starring: Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith, Sylvester Stallone
Director: John G. Avildsen
Certificate:
Sylvester Stallone's rags-to-riches boxing drama won the Oscar for Best Film of 1976. Club fighter Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) has hit rock bottom. Having turned thirty, his boxing career is virtually over and he now makes a living collecting payments for a loan shark. Things start to look up ..read more »
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- 70
- from 20,960 members