Boxing Day!

By: Greg

The Sweet Science! Isn’t it fascinating that such a violent sport is also so romantic? This is a list of films that take boxing as involving boxing as central to the story or involve boxing or a boxer as a key figure.

I’m not counting movies about fighting that aren’t movies about boxing. Therefore, no Bloodsport. No Red Belt and no The Westler.

The list is not built around the quality of the movie. It doesn’t matter whether I like the movie or think its good. Million Dollar Baby is horrible, but I have it on the list. John Wayne is scum, but the Quiet Man is on the list. (I have no respect for a person who can be a cheerleader for the war in Vietnam, but avoided the army in World War II.)

Politics aside, this list includes all the films about boxing or where a boxer is a key figure in the list. For example, there’s a scene that takes place at a fight in Out of Sight, but more importantly one of the main characters is a boxer. There’s a scene in Victor/Victoria where they go to a boxing match, but its not important to the movie.

There’s a few more to add to my list (and to MUBI). For one, Jim Sheridan’s film of The Boxer (1997) isn’t up yet. Neither is Triumph of the Spirit (1989), Unforgivable Blackness (2004) or The Power of One (1992). Also, as Arsaib noted, Robson’s Champion (1949). (Maybe I can do something about that.) I’ll work on it in the near future.