Boxing is one of the most engaging and fascinating sports to spectate, combining combat with incredible technique to create the so-called sweet science. Boxing on the big screen has a long and important history, comprising some of the most important sports movies of the medium and a ton of more unique titles.
Most boxing movies are based on semi-accurate takes on true stories, real-life sports heroes, or loose reworkings of the same. From Rocky to Raging Bull, from Cinderella Man to Million Dollar Baby, boxing is key to the story of sports on film.
Southpaw
Antoine Fuqua, of Training Dayand The Magnificent Seven fame, directed this touching story driven by a couple of great performances. Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Billy Hope, a once-great boxer who is destroyed outside the ring by the sudden death of his wife, portrayed by Rachel McAdams. Billy falls hard after her death. His career falls apart, he becomes horribly addicted to hard drugs, his daughter is taken in by CPS, and everyone in his life abandons him. After his fall from grace, Billy must walk the long road to recovery. It's a moving quest, a fairly standard script elevated by the cast and the stellar direction. Southpaw doesn't break a lot of new ground, but it is an incredibly well-made and powerful journey of self-improvement.
Resurrecting the Champ
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most prolific actors of the modern era, with well over a hundred performances under his belt. He's been a big name in franchise blockbusters, a standout in indie films, and everything in between. With such a storied career, there are going to be a few performances that don't get the credit they deserve. This 2007 Rod Lurie film based on a true story sees Jackson in the role of a homeless former prizefighter who offers to share his tale with a struggling sports reporter. The story is based on a true story but eschews many of the elements of most boxing films. What it does instead focuses on the cultural legacy pro boxers have. This film isn't about the fights, it's about the fighters, and the mythology it lends to those skilled professionals is powerful. Some elements of the film fall flat, but Jackson will hold the story together with sheer determination and total fearlessness since he has to.
Bleed for This
Miles Teller, of Top Gun: Maverick fame, portrays real-life boxer, Vinny Paz, in this moving biographical drama. The film finds Paz off his prime, having just lost a match to Roger Mayweather and angrily pursuing vengeance. His coach loses faith in his capabilities and tells him to quit. Paz hires a new coach and readies himself for his next shot at glory, only to be rocked by a personal tragedy. Paz is the victim of a terrible head-on collision that leaves his spine critically damaged. He's left with a choice, risk paralysis after months of difficult orthotics, or undergo a spinal fusion that has a better chance of success but will permanently end his career. Paz is a boxer through and through and takes the former option. Watching Paz struggle to re-enter the world of combat sports after such a sudden tragedy is a challenging and powerful story. Teller does great work in the role, perfectly embodying the pure drive that animated his character. Writer/director Ben Younger takes an inspirational true story and brings it to the big screen with excellent cinematic instincts. Bleed for This is one of the best sports movies of the past decade, and it's a shame more people haven't seen it.
Hands of Stone
Robert De Niro returns to the boxing ring once again in a very different role. This film, like Bleed for This, is a moving biopic of a real fighter. Hands of Stone tells the tale of Panamanian boxer Roberto Duran's rise to the top. The film heavily ties in the historical impact of America's relationship with Duran's home nation while remaining a deeply personal story. When making a boxing movie, one of the most important parts of the film is how it advances beyond the cliché. Most boxing movies follow a few tropes, but excellent performance, solid direction, or stellar fight choreography can pick up the slack. Hands of Stone features a great cast and fantastic cinematography which delivers the poignant true story of its central character with aplomb.
Real Steel
Not every good boxing movie is a gripping recreation of a real man's struggles. Sometimes it's a family-friendly romp about a father and son working together to train a robot to win against larger foes. Real Steel has heart in abundance, using charm to overwhelm the more trite elements of its script. Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo share a moving developing relationship that serves as the film's center. This simple 2011 sci-fi film feels like a cheap toy commercial, but one look beyond the cover will reveal something much more charming.