The Boxer is about Terry Flynn played by, three time Oscar Winner for Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis. Terry takes the rap for his IRA friends and ends up in prison for 14 years. He gets out and tries to rebuild his life in his old Belfast neighborhood. Emily Watson plays his childhood friend who marry’s his best friend. He opens a gym and doesn’t cater to Catholics or Protestants This doesn’t go over very well with his friends in the IRA who he hasn’t denounced yet. Harry the leader of the IRA group resorts to some nasty tactics to get his way.
Million Dollar Baby is about young Maggie Fitzgerald, played by 2 time Oscar Winner for Best Actress for this role and her role in Boys Don’t Cry. Clint Eastwood plays Frankie Dunn a crotchety old trainer. He keeps telling Maggie that he doesn’t train girls but, Maggie doesn’t listen and keeps coming back. Morgan Freeman plays the counterpart to Eastwood’s Dunn in Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris the gym caretaker. Eastwood is a man of all trades in the rags to riches tale. He directs,acts and scores the movies music in Million Dollar Baby. He crafts a heroically tragic tale with an ending you don’t see coming a mile away. Swank and Freeman show why they have won multiple Oscars.
Quiet Man is about an American boxer who kills and opponent. He swears off boxing and goes back to his homeland of Ireland.John Wayne plays Sean Thornton. He finds romance when he goes home with local Mary Kate played by Maureen O’Hara. He has to refrain from picking up the gloves again when Mary Kate’s brother, Victor MaLaglen who plays Squire ‘Red” Will Danaher the town bully. Sean marry’s Mary Kate but, she accuses him of cowardice when he won’t stand up for her. She threatened to leave after he won’t except he brothers challenge. Sean eventually takes the challenge and rescue’s his lady before she heads off on a train.
Somebody Up There Likes Me is about boxing legend Rocky Marciano. Oscar winner for his role in The Color of Money as “Fast; Eddie Felson, Paul Newman portrays the great boxing champion. Going from one reform school to another he eventually picks up the gloves to earn a few bucks. He demonstrates a will to win and an intensity and unorthodox fighting style. His wife and him try and change his life for the better by excepting the challenge of becoming a champion. Newman spent months training for this role and its his first big role that got him noticed in Hollywood. Oscar winning director Robert Wise really got Marciano’s life in this great boxing bio-pic.
Girlfight is about a young girl who discovers her one true love in the boxing ring. Michelle Rodriguez plays Diana Guzman a girl who is always fighting. She always fight with her father or the gossipy girls at school in the Bronx in New York. She finds a home at her brothers gym and Hector her trainer is hard on her. Boxing turns out to be the outlet for her anger and she realizes she very good in the ring. The true challenge is the fact that she falls for a feather weight Adrian. Karyn Kusama does a fantastic job of combining drama with the action of the boxing for a first time director.
Other boxing or fighting movies of notice are Against the Ropes starring Meg Ryan and Omar Epps as Jackie Kallen and “Lethal” Luther Shaw.This movie is loosely based on the story of James Lights out Toney and his female manager. Gladiator starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Marshall.Resurrecting the Champ starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett and Warrior starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as brothers Tommy and Brandon and ex-marine and and ex mixed martial arts fighter. Both have struggles of there own and end up getting involved in an mixed martial arts tournament. Tommy gets his father played by Nick Nolte to train him and Frank Grillo to train him. A really funny comedy about two old boxing opponents Grudge Match. Robert DeNiro and Sylvester Stallone are to old competitors who reunite for a big match that will give the winner bragging writes forever. This a funny version of probably to of the biggest boxing movie stars of all time.
“Warrior is my favorite boxing/fighting film although I am not a fan of Mixed Martial Arts,I really connected with the themes of brotherhood and family that were presented in it. I remember seeing it with my brother and that made the experience that more special. There’s a lot to love about this film all topped off by its three powerhouse performances by Nick Nolte,Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton. Powerful,inspiring and moving Warrior is one of the best that came out.”-Rasika Wickramaratme
2015 is gonna be a great year for boxing movies. First up we have Southpaw starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a fighter who is rising to the the top as his world is falling down around him. Also starring Rachel McAdams,Rita Ora,Forrest Whitaker as Titus “Tick” Wills and Naomi Harris. Southpaw is directed by Antoine Fuqua and comes out on July 31st, 2015. Bleed for This is the true inspirational story of boxing champion Vinny Pazienza. Miles Teller plays the Pazienza. He comes back from a fatal car crash and not know if he will ever walk again, makes one of the most miraculous comebacks in sports history. This film is directed by Ben Younger and also star Katie Sagal and Ciaran Hinds as his parents and Arron Eckhart as Kevin Rooney and Ted Levine as Lou Duva. Bleed for This is also out later in 2015. Ryan Coogler is screenwriter and director on Creed the spin-off of the Rocky franchise. Sylvester Stallone plays the mentor and trainer of the grandson of his arch nemesis. Creed star Micheal B. Jordan as the grandson and he and Coogler have already worked together in Fruitvale Station. Creed comes out on November 25th 2015.
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 