If you are a big boxing fan, as well as watching fights on a Friday night and getting the pay-per-view championship boxing matches, you will also be getting yourself along to the theater, to line up with everyone to catch the latest boxing movies. Its been quite a few years since a fantastic boxing film has come along, and since it’s been sometime since we’ve witnessed a really good boxing film that made us root for an underdog or a boxing hero let’s look back at some great boxing films of the past.
Rocky
1976 was the year we saw young Rocky Balboa, who came from downtown Philadelphia, with ambitions of improving his life, and changing it for the better, and set his sights on fighting the current heavy weight champ – Apollo Creed, the match was already set up for Apollo Creed to win due to a publicity stunt. Playing “Rocky” was Sylvester Stallone, Apollo Creed was played by Carl Weathers, Talia Shire was Adrianne, Burgess Meredith played “Mickey” and Burt Young played “Paulie”, Rocky is the tale of a real underdog that rises up from a low situation to triumph,the movie was directed by the Oscar winner, John G. Avildsen.
Rocky 2 was the sequel to “Rocky”, where rocky fights against Apollo Creed for the second time, in what is named “the rematch of the century” In the 3rd Rocky film,(Rocky 3) rocky is pitted up against Clubber Lang and loses the match. Wanting to win back his lost title as champ and gain respect and admiration again, rocky starts training with his past foe “Apollo Creed” played by Carl Weathers. Hot on the heels of that was Rocky 1V, where rocky is set up against “Ivan Drago” played by Dolph Lundgren. In 1990 the fifth rocky was brought out and in 2006 the final Rocky film was brought out “Rocky Balboa”
Cinderella Man (2005)
This film was set during the Northern American great depression, and is set in the time period of the 1930s. Starring Russell Crowe, “Cinderella man” is a story about a man who loses everything, after being in the position of success due to his boxing abilities, and the character “James Braddock” becomes trapped in failure and poverty. The only thing he still has remaining is his family, his wife and kids, his kids being his 3 biggest fans. Rennee Zellweger plays his wife “Mae Braddock” who sticks with her husband regardless of the fact they cannot afford the necessities such as heating and other daily basic needs. Braddocks former boxing coach “Joe Gould” shows up and offers him another opportunity to give boxing another go, and Braddock becomes an icon of hope to the ordinary average people who feel ruined and devastated in there country.
Ali
This biographical film, as the name points out, is about Mohamed Ali the famous boxing icon, known throughout the world. Set between the years 1964 and 1974, scenes of Ali winning the heavy weight title against Sonny Liston are seen. Also featured in the film are Ali’s conversion to Islam, his views that are against the war in Vietnam, the time when he is expelled from boxing, his fight against Joe Frazer, when he makes his return to boxing, and then the legendary “rumble in the jungle” a match where Ali is pitted against George Foreman that took place on October 30, 1974.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
This film scooped up 4 Academy awards, one for best picture, Hilary Swank picked up best actress, best supporting actor went to (Morgan Freeman) and best director was picked up by Clint Eastwood. The story focuses on a working class 31 year old waitress, “Maggie Fitzgerald) played by Hilary Swank, who lives in and was raised by a very poor family that is highly dysfunctional, and Maggie hopes to rise out of her lowly state by becoming a professional boxer. Through a bit of persuasion she wins over boxer trainer,Frankie Dunn, and convinces him to manage and train her. Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris, a character played by Morgan Freeman, is an ex partner of Dunns, starts to see that Maggie holds a lot of possibilities. Applying herself with a lot of dedication and discipline, Maggie starts turning into one of the greatest female boxes in her class.
Other famous boxing films are,When We Were Kings and Requiem for a Heavyweight, Diggstown, City for conquest, and The Hurricane (starring Denzel Washington).