I finally watched Creed, which means I
had to put together my list of the best boxing films of all time. This isn't easy, since boxing is the sport
with the second best collection of movies, after baseball of course. I have not seen Raging Bull nor On the
Waterfront, so I can't rank them. I
tried to watch Ali once, but was too bored to finish it.
Rocky
The
undisputed champ, a fantastic movie that set the bar extremely high.
The Fighter
It
borrowed from the Rocky formula, except it's a true story. One of the best ensemble casts in a sports
movie.
Cinderella Man
Another
movie based on a true story, another great cast, it does a good job of looking
at one of the toughest eras in US history.
Rocky II
Rocky
gets his revenge, a stellar sequel.
Snatch
Is
this a boxing movie? It was ranked on
one list, so I included it. Only this
low because boxing is not the focus.
The Quiet Man
Again,
boxing is not really a focus, but still one of the best fights in cinema
history.
Creed
A
tough call between this and the next, I gave this the nod because of the
Everton link.
Rocky Balboa
A
very good movie which breathed life into one of the best franchises in movies.
Rocky IV
I
love this movie more than it is good, because "if you can change, and I
can change, then everyone can change."
The movie that won the Cold War.
Rocky III
Mr.
T is a great 80s villain, this movie sometimes gets lost between the greatness
of the first two and the importance of the fourth, it's a solid contribution to
the franchise.
Real Steel
Watched
it on a lark, and it was surprisingly better than I expected.
Million Dollar Baby
People
love this movie (look at all the awards) but I hated it, probably because it
supports assisted suicide (spoiler). I
also was not a big fan of Hilary Swank, I could never really get behind any of
the characters.
Rocky V
The
movie we prefer to believe never happened, of the many times I've watched the
franchise, I've never seen this a second time.
On The Waterfront is a great movie. Excellent acting and a good story, but boxing wasn't the focus. Brando was just an ex-boxer. Raging Bull, while the acting was good, the movie in my opinion sucked. It’s depressing, formulistic Scorsese and a typically overrated 70s movie (or Scorsese movie). I say that because Baby Boomers love to celebrate and overrate their era and its importance. Every time I look into something they celebrate (they love patting themselves on the back, but they are the reason the world sucks today) I find whatever it is to be hollow tripe and full of self-importance. The Godfather, Midnight Cowboy, Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, 2001: A Space Odyssey, M.A.S.H., The Graduate etc. they all fit this bill. Boring, full of self-importance and just plain overrated bad films. And the characters are no one to root for. Don't waste your time. The three 70s movies besides Jaws, Halloween, Animal House, Superman and Star Wars (because they don't take themselves so seriously and are meant to be fun escapism) that did live up to the hype were One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dirty Harry and Rocky. Can’t count The Sting because it’s kind of out of its decade; it has the feel of another time and is awesome. Scorsese and Kubrick are the same for me. Critics love them and I've only enjoyed a couple of their movies. Kubrick it was Paths of Glory, Spartacus and The Shining. There's a reason A.I. was so bad even though Spielberg did it, and I blame Kubrick for Spielberg forgetting how to have fun or make a fun and enjoyable movie for a bit there. Lost his innocence and the joy he displayed in his movies, which made even the meh ones like Always entertaining, disappeared. Scorsese I liked The Departed...and parts of The Aviator? Haven't seen Hugo. On the DVR for months, haven't watched it yet. You got this list pretty close to right. Quiet Man after Rocky though. If for no other reason than John Wayne movies are better than most anything else. I haven't seen The Fighter, but the 2000s-2010s I've found reflect the 70s when it comes to touted films so I haven't bothered yet. Most things up for an Oscar the last 10-15 years have sucked. Critics like them but there's a reason audiences don't see them; people want to be entertained not depressed or preached to when they go to the movies. That's why superhero films have been embraced. Quality films that people can enjoy.
ReplyDeleteForgot about Patton. There's quality filmmaking in action and a performance for the ages. 1970 so it just slips in. George C. Scott in Man Getting Hit With Football...I mean as General Patton is awesome. Simpsons rule!
ReplyDelete