Items50The creator’s order
  1. 1Raging Bull (1980)Raging Bull (1980) 8.1/10 on IMDbReleased 14 Nov 1980Robert De Niro makes a boxer's capacity to withstand punishment inseparable from the jealousy that destroys his relationships. Martin Scorsese's stark ring sequences turn success into a troubling spectacle. Choose it for an exceptionally demanding account of competitive masculinity, with domestic…0
  2. 2Hoop Dreams (1994)Hoop Dreams (1994) 8.3/10 on IMDbReleased 12 Sept 1994Steve James follows two Chicago teenagers whose basketball ambitions have to survive school, money and family pressures. The years of observation allow talent to remain only one part of their lives. This documentary gives the sporting dream a social scale that a championship ending could never…0
  3. 3Rocky (1976)Rocky (1976) 8.1/10 on IMDbReleased 3 Dec 1976Sylvester Stallone makes the preparation for a fight matter because a working-class man's dignity is at stake before the first bell. John G. Avildsen gives the Philadelphia streets and tentative romance as much importance as training. Its strongest inspiration lies in earning a chance to be taken…0
  4. 4Tokyo Olympiad (1965)Tokyo Olympiad (1965) 7.8/10 on IMDbReleased 20 Mar 1965Kon Ichikawa looks at the 1964 Olympics through bodies, concentration and the spectators around the competition. Winners do not monopolise the camera's attention. This official documentary becomes a remarkable work of observation, rewarding viewers interested in the texture of effort rather than a…0
  5. 5When We Were Kings (1996)When We Were Kings (1996) 7.9/10 on IMDbReleased 25 Oct 1996Leon Gast places Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's heavyweight fight within the larger spectacle of its Zaire setting. Archival images and later recollections make anticipation almost as compelling as the contest. The documentary is especially rewarding when Ali's public performance matters as much…0
  6. 6Bull Durham (1988)Bull Durham (1988) 7.0/10 on IMDbReleased 15 Jun 1988Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins give minor-league baseball an appealing mixture of knowledge, routine and romantic rivalry. Ron Shelton finds the comedy in people whose understanding of the game exceeds their ability to organise their lives. The adult humour makes this a lived-in…0
  7. 7Moneyball (2011)Moneyball (2011) 7.6/10 on IMDbReleased 23 Sept 2011Brad Pitt's general manager has to defend a way of valuing players that challenges baseball's established instincts. Bennett Miller makes offices, negotiations and incomplete information surprisingly tense. It is an inviting sports film for viewers interested in judgement and institutions rather…0
  8. 8Hoosiers (1986)Hoosiers (1986) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased 14 Nov 1986Gene Hackman's difficult coach has to earn a small Indiana town's trust before his basketball team can feel like a collective. David Anspaugh gives practice and local expectation a strong emotional presence. The familiar underdog structure is satisfying, provided its invented characters are not…0
  9. 9Breaking Away (1979)Breaking Away (1979) 7.7/10 on IMDbReleased 24 May 1979Peter Yates connects a young cyclist's fantasies of Italy with the class divisions in his Indiana hometown. Dennis Christopher's enthusiasm is funny without being dismissed as foolish. The race matters because friendship and the possibility of choosing a future have already acquired weight beyond…0
  10. 10The Hustler (1961)The Hustler (1961) 7.9/10 on IMDbReleased 25 Sept 1961Paul Newman makes a pool player's talent inseparable from the destructive need to prove it to the wrong people. Robert Rossen lets pauses and controlled gestures give the matches dramatic force. Its bleak attention to exploitation and self-respect offers an adult alternative to a simple tale of…0