Over the years, we’ve been treated to some of the best boxing movies of all time with the likes of great sports films like the Rocky franchise, brilliant biopics starring Oscar winners, and so much more. There’s something about the sport, as well as the men and women who dedicate their lives to it, that translates well in action, drama, or a combination of the two. In fact, one of the most well-known Best Picture winners centered on boxing, as have countless other films honored at the Academy Awards over the years.
If you’re a fan of the sport, riveting dramas, or get a kick out of both, stick around, because we’re about to break down some of the best boxing movies and all the ways you can watch them, be it for the first time in a while or the first time altogether.
The Set-Up (1949)
The Director: Robert Wise
The Cast: Robert Ryan, Audrey Totter, George Tobias
What It’s About: In the twilight of his career, an aging boxer learns partway through a brutal fight that his manager has bet against him in a deal with a feared mobster.
What To Expect: Robert Wise’s The Set-Up has some of the most incredible in-ring sequences you’ll see in a boxing movie, but it also has a great story outside of the smoke-filled arena, especially when it comes to one man believing in himself despite the odds being stacked against him.
The Survivor (2021)
The Director: Barry Levinson
The Cast: Ben Foster, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen
What It’s About: A prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp is forced to box his fellow prisoners, sometimes to the death, in order to survive the ordeal.
What To Expect: Definitely one of, if not the heaviest boxing movies in terms of story, this touching and powerful film is based on the true story of Harry Haft, a man who went to great lengths to survive one of humanity’s darkest moments.
The Rocky Movies (1976 - 2006)
The Director: John G. Avildsen, Sylvester Stallone
The Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers, Talia Shire
What They’re About: An underdog finds success in the boxing ring, going from a local fighter to an international star. But Rocky Balboa’s journey isn’t without its tragedies, as the boxer is tested both in and outside of the ring.
What To Expect: From its inception in 1976, and going through to 2006’s Rocky Balboa, the series followed the “Italian Stallion” all the way from the lower rungs of the Philadelphia boxing scene to the twilight of his career as a world champion, facing all kinds of adversities in and out of the ring during that time.
The Creed Movies (2015 - 2023)
The Director: Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan
The Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
What They’re About: The son of a boxing legend sets out to make a name for himself while also reconnecting with his roots and the family that got him there.
What To Expect: Though the Creed movies could technically be considered part of the Rocky franchise, the property has slowly evolved into its own entity in recent years, especially with the most recent entry, Creed III.
- Stream Creed on Prime Video.
- Buy Creed on Amazon.
- Rent/Buy Creed II on Amazon.
- Stream Creed III on Prime Video.
- Rent/Buy Creed III on Amazon.
Raging Bull (1980)
The Director: Martin Scorsese
The Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty
What They’re About: A middleweight boxer gets a shot at the champ after years of proving himself in the ring, but it could all be ruined by his complicated and toxic personal life.
What To Expect: One of the best Martin Scorsese films, Raging Bull is unlike most boxing movies that have been released over the years. Presented in black-and-white with a style and various techniques that make it more than a sports-based biopic.
Cinderella Man (2005)
The Director: Ron Howard
The Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
What It’s About: Heavyweight boxing legend James J. Braddock rises from rags to riches as he becomes one of the most popular boxers in the world during the Great Depression.
What To Expect: Not only does Cinderella Man feature one of the all-time great Renée Zellweger performances and perhaps Russell Crowe’s most inspirational character, but it also has one great boxing scene after another. Blood, sweat, tears, and so much passion can be felt in this one.
The Fighter (2010)
The Director: David O. Russell
The Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams
What It’s About: Lowell, Massachusetts native Micky Ward fights for a shot at the championship and boxing glory while his drug-addict brother goes on a personal journey of self-discovery and redemption.
What To Expect: The Fighter pulls no punches and provides an unflinching examination of complicated family dynamics and how they can both help and hinder an aspiring champion’s attempt to rise above it all in this great Massachusetts movie.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
The Director: Clint Eastwood
The Cast: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman
What It’s About: Considered one of the best movies of the 2000s, Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby follows an underdog boxer named Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) as she strives to make her dreams of being a professional boxer come true.
What To Expect: Anchored by outstanding performances by Swank, Eastwood as boxing trainer Frankie Dunn and Morgan Freeman as his assistant Eddie Dupris, the Best Picture Winner is a dramatic and exhilarating affair, and one that gets emotional in its final act.
The Hurricane (1999)
The Director: Norman Jewison
The Cast: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Liev Schreiber
What It’s About: A once-promising contender fights for his innocence after being falsely accused and wrongfully convicted of a triple homicide.
What To Expect: Though there isn’t as much boxing as other movies on this list, The Hurricane features some of the best in-ring action in the genre’s history. But the movie is also a tremendous exploration of the enduring nature of the human spirit.
The Boxer (1997)
The Director: Jim Sheridan
The Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emily Watson, Brian Cox
What It’s About: An IRA member completes a 14-year prison stint and attempts to pick up the pieces of his life and resume his boxing career.
What To Expect: Though boxing sometimes sits on the backburner when the IRA drama takes center stage, the movie features some incredible fight sequences that show off Day-Lewis’ remarkable skills.
Ali (2001)
The Director: Tony Mann
The Cast: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight
What It’s About: Piecing together Muhammad Ali’s life and career, this 2001 biopic places a heavy emphasis on some of his more iconic moments in and out of the ring.
What To Expect: Ali is a movie critics loved, but audiences ignored, but this shouldn’t be seen as a knock against its story or what it was trying to achieve. It’s long and has a large scope and scale, but a two-and-a-half-hour runtime is necessary to tell the story of “The Greatest.”
When We Were Kings (1996)
The Director: Leon Gast
The Cast: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, James Brown
What It’s About: When We Were Kings covers the buildup to the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the iconic 1974 heavyweight championship match between world champion George Foreman and his challenger, Muhammad Ali.
What To Expect: Though technically a documentary and not a movie, When We Were Kings still tells a mesmerizing story about two boxers at the top of their game with interviews from the likes of Spike Lee, Norman Mailer, and others discussing the historical nature of the bout.
These movies, in their own way, showcase the drama of boxing, both in and out of the ring. While some may be more decorated and well-remembered than others, each is more than worthy of being in the conversation of best of all time.
