Today we review some of the best fighting movies of all time. We have some classics and some you may not have heard of. Despite some of these movies lacking accuracy and believability but lets be honest; that’s not why we watch them. Enjoy.
Warrior – 2011
One you can watch with the Mrs. The story is strong and has a deep connection towards family. The fights are exciting and believable. The characters feel real and the production is great. One of the best fighting movies of this generation without a doubt.
Synopsis
An estranged family finds redemption in the unlikeliest of places: the MMA ring. Tommy (Tom Hardy), an ex-Marine with a tragic past, returns home and enlists his father (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic and former wrestling coach, to train him for “Sparta,” the biggest MMA tournament ever held. But when Tommy’s underdog brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), fights his way into the tournament, the two brothers must finally confront each other and the forces that pulled them apart.
“The characters are honest and true, the fight sequences are brutal and raw”
Sara Michelle Fetters – Moviefreak.com
Bleed for this – 2016
A real gritty, deep powerful story. Based on the life of Vinny Paz. The rise, the fall and the comeback. Miles Teller puts on a stunning performance and you feel every emotion along the way.
Synopsis
Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza (Miles Teller), a local Providence boxer, shoots to stardom after winning two world title fights. After a near-fatal car accident leaves him with a broken neck, he is told he may never walk again. Against all odds and doctor’s orders, renowned trainer Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart) agrees to help Vinny return to the ring just a year after the accident for what could be the last fight of his life. Based on a true story.
“This is a boxing movie that actually gets boxing”
Glenn Kenny – New York Times
Never back down – 2008
American pie meets Karate kid. Sounds weird, it’s not. It’s got the key things we enjoy in fighting movies; an underdog, a love interest and a seemingly unbeatable opponent. It’s very unbelievable at times but still holds a spot in our best fighting movies list.
Synopsis
Jake (Sean Faris) moves to Orlando with his mother (Leslie Hope) and brother (Wyatt Smith). He feels like an outsider in his new school and frequently lets his temper flare out of control. But Jake wants to fit in, and he decides to go to a party with his classmate Baja (Amber Heard). There, Jake is pushed into a fight and humiliated. Another classmate (Evan Peters) sees what happened, and encourages Jake to visit martial arts trainer Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou).
The Karate Kid joins the Fight Club and kicks butt!
Kam Williams – NewsBlaze
The fighter – 2010
Another movie that holds all the blueprints for a great fighting movie. Raw, powerful and based on a true story. You feel as you are watching the real Micky Ward’s life unfold great performances. Without a doubt one of the best boxing movies of all time.
Synopsis
For Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), boxing is a family affair. His tough-as-nails mother is his manager. His half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), once a promising boxer himself, is his very unreliable trainer. Despite Micky’s hard work, he is losing and, when the latest fight nearly kills him, he follows his girlfriend’s advice and splits from the family. Then Micky becomes a contender for the world title and he — and his family — earns a shot at redemption.
“Overall The Fighter is a touching, soulful knockout of a movie”
Candice Frederick – Reel Talk Online
The Karate Kid – 1984
An iconic “fighting” movie for the whole family to enjoy no matter the age. A timeless classic that teaches the true meaning of friendship and respect. There’s a reason Netflix picked up the sequel in Cobra Kai – a fighting movie that just simply can’t be missed.
Synopsis
Daniel (Ralph Macchio) moves to Southern California with his mother, Lucille (Randee Heller), but quickly finds himself the target of a group of bullies who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki “Pat” Morita), an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate and preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
“An exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time”
Roger Ebert – Chicago Sun-Times
Southpaw – 2015
Jake Gyllenhaal puts on a masterful performance. If you love fighting movies this one should be a go to. This movie will have you feeling every emotion you are capable of experiencing. One to enjoy with the partner. Do not miss it!
Synopsis
Billy “The Great” Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal), the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker), a former fighter who trains the city’s toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.
“Southpaw goes beyond the specifics of boxing and becomes a universal story about tragedy and grief”
Mick LaSalle – San Francisco Chronicle
#1 best fighting movie – Rocky – 1976
The most influential movie ever made in sports history. Gyms flooded following the production of this movie. The story is perfect, the soundtrack is perfect the boxing is… well not perfect but that doesn’t matter. This movie was made for less than one million dollars in 76′ and has made over $1,000,000,000 (todays equivalent) If you’ve seen it you can see why. If you are one of the few people who hasn’t seen this you need to. Simply the best fighting movie of all time.
Synopsis
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a small-time boxer from working-class Philadelphia, is arbitrarily chosen to take on the reigning world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), when the undefeated fighter’s scheduled opponent is injured. While training with feisty former bantamweight contender Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), Rocky tentatively begins a relationship with Adrian (Talia Shire), the wallflower sister of his meat-packer pal Paulie (Burt Young).
“The memorable combination of the torturous gym workouts, the runs through the streets of Philadelphia and the carcass-beating in the abattoir all combine beautifully as Balboa trains ‘to eat lightning and crap thunder”
Almar Haflidason – BBC.com
Check out our best fight comebacks here – They are like a real life Rocky movie.