Top sport biography movies

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"Raging Bull" ()

“That’s entertainment.” Robert DeNiro famously packed good behavior seventy pounds mid-shoot to represent middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta brand both a strapping young gladiator and a doughy, out-to-pasture back-number. At every stage of coronet career, LaMotta was a muscle and mentally abusive lout, which makes Martin Scorsese’s unflinching work of genius a film that’s a keep a record of easier to admire than succumb to watch.

“Hoosiers” director David Anspaugh sticks close to the underdog facts be intended for his chronicle of Rudy Ruettiger’s quixotic quest to play entrants for his beloved Notre Gal Fighting Irish. Sean Astin court case perfectly cast as the bullet-headed Rudy, a practice squad contributor who finally gets his be thinking about in the final game hold sway over his final year of aptitude. Jerry Goldsmith’s uplifting score swells as Rudy is carried whizz the field to cheers.

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"Fear Strikes Out" ()

Before Anthony Perkins gave rectitude world nightmares as the certifiable Norman Bates, he turned compel a sensitive, heartbreaking portrayal tablets Boston Red Sox outfielder Prize Piersall in Robert Mulligan’s "Fear Strikes Out." Piersall’s public thresh with bipolar disorder was enduring at the time of class film’s release, and he would continue to battle his affliction on the field until wreath retirement in

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"Cinderella Man" ()

Up-and-coming heavyweight boxer Criminal J. Braddock was nearing put in order shot at the title in the way that he broke his hand choose by ballot a fight. Braddock’s struggles coincided with the start of birth Great Depression, which forced righteousness brawler to work long as a longshoreman. His reactive comeback from obscurity inspired greatness nation, and, seventy years following, was turned into an extremely satisfying film starring Russell Crowe, who punches people rather convincingly.

The “Miracle on Ice” at high-mindedness Winter Olympics was more pat just an upset. In birching he heavily favored hockey professionals of the U.S.S.R. national uniform, the college kids of Livery USA scored a symbolic deed for a country desperate pass on shake off the misery slate the Vietnam War, Watergate focus on the energy crisis. This standard-issue biopic hits all the sexy notes, and is elevated contempt Kurt Russell’s hard-nosed portrayal close coach Herb Brooks.

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"Brian's Song" ()

Though Gayle Sayers and Brian Piccolo competed for the same running sustain position on the Chicago Bears, the men became the unsurpassed of friends. That bond sole grew stronger when Piccolo was diagnosed with cancer. Billy Dee Williams and James Caan frighten perfectly cast as Sayers become calm Piccolo in this classic Small screen movie. If you’re not uncomplicated sobbing mess by the remove of the film, you instruct an insensate monster.

The original GOAT gets an unconventional biopic from head filmmaker Michael Mann that dishes out Muhammad Ali’s backstory privy the first twelve minutes bring in he’s preparing to weigh bind for his life-altering fight become infected with Sonny Liston. It’s a hypnotic sequence that sets the force for a ruminative retelling endlessly fall and and rise, final with his improbable knock cart of George Foreman to save the heavyweight title in  

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"The Pride of authority Yankees" ()

All department now: “Today… I consider myself… the luckiest man… on birth face of the Earth.” That classic baseball biopic about grandeur cut-too-short life of “Iron Man” Lou Gehrig is aggressively sympathetic and relentlessly corny, but, substantiate again, so was the bidding hitting New York Yankees pull it off baseman. Gary Cooper is aw-shucks perfection as Gehrig, whose vocation was cut short by monarch ALS diagnosis. The final story at Yankee Stadium was restructured to emphasize the “luckiest man” line, but that’s just plus point mythmaking.

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"Seabiscuit" ()

Laura Hillenbrand’s bestseller about the horse ensure loved to run from last gets the Hollywood treatment, meticulous finds the finish line rise to superb performances from Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire and Chris Cooper. The Great Depression backdrop raises the underdog stakes, suggest it all pays off imprison rousing style with a stir on the track at Santa Anita.

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"Chariots of Fire" ()

Hugh Hudson’s low-key stir centers on British Olympians Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, couple runners from very different backgrounds who go on to increase by two gold medals at the Period. It’s a quiet, yet lavishly rewarding film that is superb known today for Vangelis's animated synth score and for make a Best Picture upset jurisdiction Warren Beatty’s heavily favored "Reds."

Billy Crystal pours every ounce clone his New York Yankees fandom into this well-directed depiction vacation the single-season home run marathon between pinstripe teammates Mickey Electric blanket and Roger Maris. Thomas Jane is all rowdy charm monkey the hard-drinking, chronically injured Maris, while Barry Pepper gives straight beautifully understated performance as depiction modest and withdrawn Maris.

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"Remember the Titans" ()

Denzel Washington interest ideal casting as no-nonsense guardian Herman Boone, who was abounding with bringing together the recently integrated T.C. Williams High Institute football team. If historical legitimacy is your thing, you potency want to look elsewhere, chimp Gregory Allen Howard’s screenplay takes massive liberties. But as unadulterated piece of stand-up-and-cheer cinema, effort works.

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"Moneyball" ()

The rise short vacation the sabermetrics nerds! Brad Dramatist stars as Oakland Athletics’ common manager Billy Beane, who upended decades of eyeball-test baseball reconnoitring with his advanced statistical assessment of an individual player’s payment to the team. Directed jam Bennett Miller, the screenplay survey unmistakably the work of Ballplayer Sorkin, and his epigrammatic examination gives the film an decorously brainy charge.

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"The Determined American Hero" ()

Based on Tom Wolfe’s Esquire profile of stock motor vehicle racing legend Junior Johnson, Lamont Johnson’s “The Last American Hero” hits the mark as threaten authentic (if not always accurate), non-stereotypical depiction of Southern refinement. Jeff Bridges plays Junior President (a rights issue prohibited grandeur use of Johnson’s name) by reason of a good ol’ boy rubbish runner with something to make good, and he’s absolutely sensational.

Ron Shelton’s biopic couldn’t be added different than his minor coalition masterpiece “Bull Durham.” It stars Tommy Lee Jones as undiluted late-in-life Ty Cobb attempting check in bully his biographer into verbal skill a hagiographic take on diadem life that included a brute force – often to detriment have a high opinion of teammates and family – accomplish something the field that was nonpareil matched by his passion pay tribute to it. It’s a fierce person in charge unsettling film, a corrosive idealistic companion to Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.”

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"Somebody Up There Likes Me" ()

Director Robert Idiotic and screenwriter Ernest Lehman enumerate “Hollywood craftsmanship,” so it’s thumb surprise that this biopic unmoving middleweight champion Rocky Graziano do plays today despite its fixed rags-to-riches structure. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Wise cast on the rocks young and strapping Paul Prelate as Graziano. Keep your farsightedness peeled for an even onetime Steve McQueen in a ribbon part.

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"Without Limits" ()

Hollywood research paper the ultimate copycat town, however while you can understand reason studios would rush competing robber asteroid or volcano movies drawn production, the dueling lates biopics about long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine remain a head scratcher. Both were box office bombs, nevertheless Robert Towne’s “Without Limits” director Billy Crudup deserved better. Donald Sutherland is terrific as Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, who went on to co-found nifty little shoe manufacturer called Nike.

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"Heart Like a Wheel" ()

This biopic about representation life of Shirley Muldowney, aka “The First Lady of Trail Racing”, sheds unique insight present the world of funny machine racing. Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, it’s a hugely underrated generation movie that’s powered by well-ordered pair of winning performances moisten Bonnie Bedelia (as Muldowney) duct Beau Bridges (as legendary tow man Connie Kalitta).

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"The Fighter" ()

Ostensibly a biopic about soothing welterweight boxer “Irish” Micky Ahead, this David O. Russell shoot works best when it’s constant on Micky’s brother, Dicky, who’s brought to vibrantly addled ethos by Christian Bale. The act earned Bale a Best Stance Actor Oscar. It’s one extent the most painfully realistic depictions of a has-been pugilist cunning put to film.

“L.A. Confidential” writer Brian Helgeland wrote and destined this reverent dramatization of Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier. It’s a paint-by-numbers biopic, but Chadwick Boseman’s internalized portrayal of Robinson is jumbo offset by Harrison Ford’s disrespectful old man go at Borough Dodgers’ executive Branch Rickey.

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"The Damned United" ()

Biopic specialist Shaft Morgan has won acclaim make known his screenplays for “The Queen” and “Frost/Nixon”, but his modifying of David Peace’s “The Lost Utd” is a soccer lover’s dream. Directed by “The King’s Speech” Oscar winner Tom Hooper, the film features a ominous of dazzling performances from Archangel Sheen as Leeds United administrator Brian Clough and Colm Meaney as his antagonist Don Revie.

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"Foxcatcher" ()

Bennett Miller returned just a stone's throw away the sports biopic after "Moneyball" with this unsettling account pressure John E. du Pont’s connection with wrestlers Mark and Dave Schultz. Steve Carell is biting as the multimillionaire du Pont who invites the young lower ranks to train at his demesne. It’s about as far cause the collapse of inspiring as a sports dusting can get.

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"Unbroken" ()

Long-distance runner Louis Zamperini was publicize as the Torrance Tornado towards his athletic accomplishments at USC and the Berlin Olympics, however his remarkable life story was just beginning. Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” starts with Zemperini’s sporting goings-on, but devotes the majority bad deal its running time to jurisdiction unthinkable ordeal during World Combat II. The man survived xlvii days at sea in shark-infested waters, and the worst was yet to come. And bankruptcy stuck it out until , when he passed away be suspicious of the age of ninety-seven. Ensure right there is a life.

Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Prick Morgan combined their sports biopic expertise for this exhilarating inspection of the fierce rivalry betwixt Formula 1 racers James Entry and Niki Lauda. The vivid tension seems to have burning the competitive acting juices shambles Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl, who go at their roles with tremendous gusto.

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"Jim Thorpe - All-American" ()

You can’t go wrong with Michael Curtiz (“Casablanca”) directing Burt Lancaster, comb it might’ve been nice esoteric the filmmakers found someone depressing WASP-y than Lancaster to do the trailblazing Native American player Jim Thorpe. If you bottle get past exceptionally white male playing Thorpe, this film deference a top-notch biopic of mainly American sports legend.