Mark your calendars. Odd as it may seem, today may be the day that Marky Mark (sans the Funky Bunch) joins the company of such greats as Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Will Smith, Russell Crowe and so on. Today, The Fighter opens up in theaters across the country. With as much buzz and acclaim the movie has been receiving, this could very well end up going down as one of the best boxing movies of all-time.
In light of The Fighter's release, I thought now would be an appropriate time to make that list. My top boxing movies. The sport has been visited many a times throughout the history of cinema. Here, though, we narrow it down to the top 10. So without further ado, my Top 10 Boxing Movies.
10. Play It To the Bone
Play It To the Bone was written and directed by Ron Shelton. The movie stars Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson. Lolita Davidovich co-stars.
The movie is the story of two aging fighters, Cesar (Banderas) and Vincent (Harrelson), who are close friends. In the twilight of their careers, the two are given one last fight with a title shot up for grabs. The kicker: they'll be fighting each other. The two boxers and friends set out to Vegas for their undercard bout, accompanied by Grace (Davidovich); Cesar's girlfriend and Vincent's ex. Along the way, we get a look into their past careers and their competitive friendship. Come fight time, what should have been a typical bout that no one has interest in, soon becomes the fight of the night as the two beat the hell out of each other. Cesar and Vincent leave it all in the ring, with something to prove to themselves and each other, they "play it to the bone". A definite fight to remember.
Now, Play It To the Bone was pretty much critically-panned. Call it my like for Woody Harrelson, or my sappy underdog side, but I enjoyed it. There's plenty of humor, a fun road trip and one hell of a fight. Granted it's not the greatest of movies, but definitely one of my more favorite boxing movies.
In light of The Fighter's release, I thought now would be an appropriate time to make that list. My top boxing movies. The sport has been visited many a times throughout the history of cinema. Here, though, we narrow it down to the top 10. So without further ado, my Top 10 Boxing Movies.
10. Play It To the Bone
Play It To the Bone was written and directed by Ron Shelton. The movie stars Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson. Lolita Davidovich co-stars.
The movie is the story of two aging fighters, Cesar (Banderas) and Vincent (Harrelson), who are close friends. In the twilight of their careers, the two are given one last fight with a title shot up for grabs. The kicker: they'll be fighting each other. The two boxers and friends set out to Vegas for their undercard bout, accompanied by Grace (Davidovich); Cesar's girlfriend and Vincent's ex. Along the way, we get a look into their past careers and their competitive friendship. Come fight time, what should have been a typical bout that no one has interest in, soon becomes the fight of the night as the two beat the hell out of each other. Cesar and Vincent leave it all in the ring, with something to prove to themselves and each other, they "play it to the bone". A definite fight to remember.
Now, Play It To the Bone was pretty much critically-panned. Call it my like for Woody Harrelson, or my sappy underdog side, but I enjoyed it. There's plenty of humor, a fun road trip and one hell of a fight. Granted it's not the greatest of movies, but definitely one of my more favorite boxing movies.