Four days till Southpaw starring Jake Gyllenhaal comes out!
For an occasion as momentous as the first real boxing movie of the 2010’s we will be kicking off “Southpaw Week” by having our staff name their favorite boxing movies and why you should watch them.
Siri Karri – Cinderella Man (2004)
Cinderella Man follows the little known James J. Braddock who, after breaking his hand, is forced to give up boxing just as the US enters the Great Depression. Against the wishes of his wife he goes back into the ring and ends up shouldering the hopes and dreams of everyday Americans as he marches towards the title.
I know it’s a travesty not to pick Rocky or Raging Bull but I have my reasons. Rocky is an absolute classic, it’s quotable but ultimately it hasn’t aged well and the actual boxing scenes crack me up. Raging Bull is arguably the best sports movie ever made but it was more about character development than the actual boxing.
Cinderella Man will never be as famous but it struck a great balance. It doesn’t shy away from slow, somber moments but it never gets boring. There’s a truly heartbreaking scene in which James is forced to beg for money, but the proud man still does it because he is determined to take care of his family. It wrenches you.
Don’t get me wrong; this movie puts the “boxing” in “boxing movie”. In my opinion it has some of the best choreographed boxing matches in cinema history. Because of its 1930’s setting, there are no fancy sponsorships on the canvas or flashy ring entrances. It’s two brutal men in single color shorts and gloves in front of an all American crowd. You feel the impact of each punch and the damage they do. The slow motion shots look like the framerate slows down but it preserves the vibe; this is the 1930’s after all.
It’s a film that has aged well, was choreographed well, written well while still remaining accessible and that is a hard balance to strike.
David Gallick – Kickboxer (1989)
C-C-C-Combo Breaker! Okay, so here’s the thing about me, I’m not that into combat sports or boxing. “How the hell did you get this job!?!?!” you might ask. I don’t know the answer to that question. I think they tolerate me because of my dashing good looks and appeal within the 18 to 32 year-old demographic. What I do know is that I have a minor knowledge of ‘80s action films, and that Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Kickboxer kicks more ass than a donkey trainer with anger issues.
The film centers around a kickboxing world champ (played by a dude who looks like Major League Baseball star Keith Hernandez with a perm) who gets paralyzed by a Thai fighter, and his brother (JCVD) who must seek revenge. Van Damme trains with a reclusive Muay Thai master who teaches him the skills necessary to beat the Thai Champ, Tong Po. He (obviously) succeeds, with the help of a Vietnam vet, and the Master’s niece.
But the story isn’t why you came here, is it? You came here for the fights, which were choreographed and directed by Van Damme himself! Don’t believe me? It’s in the opening credits! Do you want combat where the fighters “hands are wrapped in hemp and resin, and dipped in broken glass”? Then you came to the right place! Sure, there’s more kicking and elbow blows than your average boxing match, but I’ve always said that boxing needs more failing with the lower extremities.
If you still aren’t sold (and if you aren’t why not? Don’t you trust me?), just know that there is a scene where a man takes an industrial strength hook to the taint. That’s not a typo folks. Hook + taint = quality cinema. That’s simple math. So yeah, my colleagues might suggest movies you’ve seen before and have some solid credentials behind them, but I’m sure you’ve seen at least a handful of them before. But do any of those films have a dude taking a hook to the taint? I didn’t think so.
Your Honor, I rest my case.
Jason Yoakam – Rocky IV (1985)
I’m going to be frank with you. My favorite boxing movie has a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. It scores a 6.7/10 on IMDB. It is not a deep movie. It is not even as deep as Rocky I, but that is what’s so great about it.
Rocky IV is the simple story of a man rising to overcome a challenge. It pits soft vs. hard, technology vs. simplicity, and most importantly, America vs. Soviet Russia.
It’s just this simplicity that makes it so amazing, and even though it is one of the defining America vs. Russia films of that age (I would use a citation but I’m talking out of my ass), it does so with a fair amount of humility.
The core theme of this movie is the weakness that comes with an overly pampered lifestyle and additionally the strength that comes with simplicity. In the beginning of the movie, the Soviet fighter Ivan Drago comes to America. American boxer Apollo Creed challenges him to an exhibition match where he puts on a flamboyant and overly theatrical show featuring a cameo where James Brown performs the song “Living in America.”
Creed dies in the fight, and Rocky decides to avenge his comrade in the ring. The rematch is to take place in Russia, and Rocky decides to take a trip to the glorious wastelands of mother Russia so that he can focus on performing the greatest. training montage. ever.
Scenes of Rocky chopping wood and lifting rocks are transposed with those of Drago injecting steroids and we are all reminded of what it takes to be a man circa 1985. I dare you to watch this scene without wanting to work out.
Finally, the two meet in a climactic fight that ends with the Soviet citizens cheering Rocky’s name, and democracy wins again. ‘Merica.
What I love so much about this film is the emphasis on the back-to-the-basics training that Rocky has to do to overcome the scientific creation that is Ivan Drago. In the beginning Rocky is living in a mansion with his family and a robot.
I’m not joking.
He has to return to his roots, chopping wood, carrying stones, and doing his road work. The message: do the work. If you want to win you don’t need any fancy tools. You don’t need steroids. You don’t need high tech training. You just need to do the work. I don’t know if that message is true or not, but something about it really resonates with me. It makes me want to get up and do things. I guess Rocky IV might be a little deeper than I initially thought.
Sean Feral – The Fighter (2010)
In 2010, a movie came out titled The Fighter. People went to see it mostly because they love Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg.(Both men deliver their roles tremendously in this film by the way.) But of all the boxing movies ever made, this one instantly became my favorite of all time. The reason for that was? The movie is a docudrama about the early life and career of Micky Ward, one of the most respected boxers of all time when it came to pure heart and soul in the ring.
Micky Ward was a champion boxer molded out of pure grit and determination. If you’re not familiar with Ward’s life and career you should really take your time to look it up because as great as this film is, it still doesn’t get to tell everything. The film touches on Ward’s personal life quite a bit from the family side of things. Ward’s family pretty much did everything they could to inconvenience Micky from succeeding, his brother was a failed pro fighter dealing with crack addiction and his mother was a horrible manager who would put her own child in any fight no matter the risk just to collect the fight’s purse. Eventually, it becomes to much for Micky and he quits the sport. After some soul searching and finding a better circle of people to surround himself with for the betterment of his career, he makes a comeback and goes on to win the WBU Welterweight title while also trying to mend things with his family.
The film ends a few years after Ward wins the belt (Which he actually lost in his next fight). This is what bothered many boxing fans; Ward is best remembered for his war with Emmanuel Augustus back in 2001 and for arguably the greatest trilogy boxing ever had against the late great Arturo Gatti from 2002-2003. None of those fights were included in the film, which was a huge let down, but that’s why they make sequels in Hollywood. In 2013, it was announced that Jerry Ferrara signed on to play the role of Gatti in the film’s sequel. This excited many fans, myself included and I can’t wait for this sequel to happen.
If you want to see a good movie, watch this film. If you want to see a good boxing movie, watch this film. If you want to see an Oscar worthy movie, watch this film. It is without a doubt one of the greatest boxing movies ever made and every fight fan should see it at least once in their lifetime.
Think our favorites list is wack? Simply feeling a little tender because Rocky didn’t make it on here? Let us know on @thenerdpunch and Facebook or just comment below!
