Boxing movies worth checking out

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 10 Jan 2006, 05:03

STREETS OF GOLD (1986, starring Adrian Pasdar, Klaus Maria Brandauer & Wesley Snipes) is a fantastic film. about an exiled Eastern bloc amateur standout, who trains a pair of young bare knuckle fighters - one Jewish, one black - to be world class amatuers. Very character driven film, not OTT like most boxing films. sadly, this film isn't on DVD, but you can get it on 2nd vhs on amazon.

THE GLADIATOR (1992) was pretty good, with Twin Peaks' James Marshall & Cuba Gooding jr having gory unlicenced fights for crooked promoter Brian Dennehy, to fight their way out of poverty.

Dennehy's at his absolute nastiest, as a former light heavyweight contender whose gammy foot prevented him from winning the title. really good lecture on "Strategy!" after a brutal sparring session. nice bit part by the excellent Ossie Davis as an old school trainer. some good, bleak Chicago settings. Robert Loggia is great as the seedy manager.

one of my fave fighting films is PIT FIGHTER. not a boxing film, about an amnesiac cage fighter in a Mexican hell hole. played by foreign legionnaire, soldier of fortune & bare knuckle karate champion Dominiquie Vandenberg. this guy has actually killed ppl in unlicensed freestyle fights against roided up Thai fighters, and taught Leo DeCaprio knife fighting techniques for GANGS OF NEW YORK. PIT FIGHTER is a great fighting film. spare, bleak, nasty. it's released on DVD by Fox.

you can find my review of it here,

http://www.rumourmachine.com/Reviews/Pitfighter.htm

dr_devious · Post by **dr_devious** » 10 Jan 2006, 06:20

My favourite film, and not just boxing film, has got to be "Raging Bull".
"The Boxer" starring Daniel Day Lewis is also good. Ive never seen "Fat City" but definitely will next time its on TV

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 10 Jan 2006, 14:11

dr_devious wrote:My favourite film, and not just boxing film, has got to be "Raging Bull".
"The Boxer" starring Daniel Day Lewis is also good. Ive never seen "Fat City" but definitely will next time its on TV

i always thought RAGING BULL was so stylized that it became quite numbing. no doubting the quality of the film, and i've not seen it for so many years, but even the director of photography (a guy who worked on JAWS) admitted he and the director Scorsese were "showing off", with different film speeds, flashy camerawork and so on

THE DANCING MASTER · Post by **THE DANCING MASTER** » 12 Jan 2006, 17:02

Yes, Ric, The Square Jungle. I stand corrected. My bad!!

Another one with Tony Curtis is Flesh and Fury where he playes a boxer who is a deaf mute.

Also see Fist Fighter about underground barefist fighting. Mike Conners of Manix fame plays a sleazy promoter. Superstar Bill Graham of the old WWF has a small scene as well.

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 12 Jan 2006, 17:08

viciousmaussa wrote:
dr_devious wrote:My favourite film, and not just boxing film, has got to be "Raging Bull".
"The Boxer" starring Daniel Day Lewis is also good. Ive never seen "Fat City" but definitely will next time its on TV
i always thought RAGING BULL was so stylized that it became quite numbing. no doubting the quality of the film, and i've not seen it for so many years, but even the director of photography (a guy who worked on JAWS) admitted he and the director Scorsese were "showing off", with different film speeds, flashy camerawork and so on

Have to say that Raging Bull is masterpiece. It's a great film (best of the 1980s in my opinion) not just a great boxing film. The performances by De Niro and Pesci are superb. I guess it's been discussed to death so maybe it doesn't have the same impact now but a real classic none the less.

THE DANCING MASTER · Post by **THE DANCING MASTER** » 12 Jan 2006, 17:24

Raging Bull is indeed a masterpiece!! I have it on DVD now and I watch some scenes at least once a week. I previoulsy posted that the soundtrack is now out a a two cd set. Have that as well. Great big band stuff on there.