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Since the 1960s and thePaul Newman-starring Somebody Up There Likes Me, the brutal sport of boxing has been grittily and gloriously portrayed on film time and again with one continuously shared motif: the underdog.
Boxing movies aren’t really about boxing at all, but instead use the ring as a lens into the lives of society’s poor and hopeless, who literally have to fight their way to a better, successful life. The greatest films that feature boxing — whether narrative or documentary — manage to simultaneously tell stories about racism, sexism, and classism, which could explain their unwavering onscreen relevance. Despite the real-life fallout of boxing — plagued by unsportsmanlike behavior (ahem, Mayweather), the rise of mixed martial arts, and, thanks to cinematic marvels like those below, it not being as exciting as the movies — the sport’s onscreen portrayal has become an increasingly trendy film subject as demonstrated by this year’s line-up at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring Southpaw, out this Friday.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Southpaw chronicles the tragedy of one-time boxing champ Billy Hope (Gyllenhaal) after his wife (played by Rachel McAdams) is brutally murdered and his young daughter is taken from him. After spiraling into drug abuse, Hope seizes an opportunity to get his life back on track, bring his daughter home, and win another championship — all with the guidance of Coach Titus “Tick” Wills (Forest Whitaker), who’s in need of some redemption of his own. Southpaw (which sounds like it could be incredible, but also a downer) opens Friday; in the meantime, here are ten of the very best boxing films available on streaming.
'Cinderella Man' (2005)
Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger star as James and Mae Braddock in Ron Howard’s biopic about the man with the broken hand that could. A poor longshoreman whose contending title dissolved after suffering an injury in the ring, James J. Braddock (Crowe) slowly reenters the realm of boxing as a wild-card opponent, eventually rising the ranks to fight heavyweight champ Max Baer in one of the biggest matches in boxing history. [Where to stream Cinderella Man]
'Snatch' (2000)
Sure, Snatch is about a diamond heist, but the heart of Guy Ritchie’s cult crime comedy lies in the seedy underworld of bare-knuckle boxing. When promoters Turkish and Tommy find themselves threatened by a crooked bookie who feeds his enemies to pigs, they hire gypsy boxing prodigy Mickey (Brad Pitt) to go along with the fixed match, only to learn he’s able to drop a man twice his size with one punch. [Where to stream Snatch]
'Champs' (2015)
Pinned against each other in and out of the ring, former champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Bernard Hopkins chronicle their brutal careers against the ropes in this intimate documentary from Bert Marcus (How to Make Money Selling Drugs). [Where to stream Champs]
'The Fighter' (2012)
David O, Russell’s Oscar-winning film is based on the true story of Boston natives the Wards and the Eklunds. When golden boy boxer Micky (Mark Wahlberg) begins to surpass the former legend of his recovering addict brother Dicky (Christian Bale), the siblings’ dysfunctional family nearly drives both of them to the brink of insanity. [Where to stream The Fighter]
'Rocky IV' (1985)
After Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is killed in the ring by Soviet humanoid Drago, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) flies to Russia to fight for his late friend and former mentor. While franchise sequels can often be let downs, Rocky IV reminded us so much of the first in the series, but packed in more punches and sparked a bout of much needed nationalism during the Cold War. [Where to stream Rocky IV]
'When We Were Kings' (1996)
Leon Gast’s riveting documentary is a powerful look at the rivalry between heavyweight champ George Foreman and underdog Muhammad Ali leading up to their most famous fight in Zaire (now Republic of the Congo), known more commonly as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” [Where to stream When We Were Kings]
'Ali' (2001)
Michael Mann directs Will Smith (who was totally robbed of an Oscar) as Muhammad Ali in his intense biopic about the fighter’s early life through his triumphs in the ring. [Where to stream Ali]
'Million Dollar Baby' (2004)
Written by Paul Haggis and directed by Clint Eastwood, the Best Picture winner examines the difficult life of Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) who’s tired of living on society’s fringes and sets out to fight her way to stability and independence. [Where to stream Million Dollar Baby]
'Rocky' (1976)
While it’s arguably a love story occasionally featuring the sport of boxing, Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky franchise is widely considered to be a cornerstone of sports filmography. After unofficially creating the genre’s underdog narrative template, Rocky Balboa’s fight to the top of his game (and the Philly steps) has been referenced countless times — from similar dramas to direct parody. [Where to stream Rocky]
'Raging Bull' (1980)
Not only a pillar of sports biographies, but also a masterpiece of cinema, Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull has gone on to become an underdog film all its own. Robert De Niro’s portrayal of Jake “Raging Bull” LaMotta was widely considered to be too violent for the masses at the time of its release, but it’s now praised as a radical achievement in acting, direction, editing, and sound design. In addition to building various-sized rings to change with LaMotta’s state of mind, Scorsese’s sound designer Frank Warner orchestrated primal animal sounds to underscore each match, ultimately making you feel out of control while watching. [Where to stream Raging Bull]
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