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This week during Colin Murray's talksport show they had a feature which asked for listeners top 10 list of sports film/movies. This was a briliant, thought provoking challenge to compile this list

Many listeners had a fantastic, diverse, long list of many different films and sports, quite a few films that you had quite possibly forgotten about and thought wow, yeah.

The various types of films in the genre on the list were, biopics, fiction, comedies and only very loosely based on its chosen sport. There were a few types of sport which maybe you wouldnt have considered when you watch the film, such as for example -
Cool Runnings = Bob Sled or Enter The Dragon = Martial Arts.

Boxing movies seem to come up on peoples lists a lot, probably because there is so many of them, they are easy to make a good drama of and many real boxers have truly amazing stories and backgrounds. At least 4 of the Rocky films were coming up a lot so the Rocky boxset counts as one vote.

It does depend a lot on current mood and tastes, also if you have an affiliation with a particular sport or team. Many Arsenal fans it seemed voted for Fever Pitch which only just missed out on the list, likewise Sheffield United fans voted for When Saturday Comes.

There were many great films that didnt make the list and it is amazing when you go into it how many sports films have been made. It depends a lot on what you are into, or what you want from a film. My list has comedies, fictional dramas and biopics including tales of triumph over adversity.

Here is the Colin Murray show Top 10 -

1. Rocky Boxset = Boxing. (Fiction)

2. Any Given Sunday = American Football/Gridiron. ( Fiction)

3. Escape To Victory = Football. (Fiction)

4. Raging Bull = Boxing. (Biopic)

5. Million Dollar Baby = Boxing. (Fiction)

6. Cool Runnings = Bobsled. (Loosely Biopic)

7. The Hurricane = Boxing. (Biopic)

8. Enter The Dragon = Martial Arts. (Fiction)

9. Slapshot = Ice Hockey. (Fiction)

10. Chariots Of Fire = Athletics/ Running. (Biopic)

Here is my list -

1. Rocky Boxset = Boxing. (Fiction)

2. Midnight sting = Boxing. (Fiction)

3. Remember The Titans = Gridiron. (Biopic)

4. Major League = Baseball. (Fiction)

5. Over The Top = Arm Wrestling. (Fiction)

6. Don King: Only In America = Boxing. (Biopic)

7. Gridiron Gang = Gridiron. (Biopic)

8. Escape To Victory = Football. (Fiction)

9. Cool Runnings = Bobsled. (Loosely Biopic)

10. White Men Cant Jump = Basketball. (fiction)

Many would probably disagree with both of those lists and there are many great films left off the list. On the radio show they conceded there should be at least a top 20 or even 30. Crikey I realised I could do a top 10 of boxing films alone. Many would say if you like boxing, why not Raging Bull in this top 10, I say yes its a great film, but not one I could watch again and again, indeed not often. Muhammad Ali is my idol, I have at least 5 films made about him or with him in the story, but not one film really captured him, no, not even Will Smith's Ali and not the biopic starring Ali himself.

So over to you fellow forum readers - What are your top 10 sports fims?

I don't have a top ten because all the sporty films I remember seeing have been boring shite. Except one: an Indian film which I saw over a decade ago. It's called 'Lagaan'. And if you think an Indian film about cricket that's over three hours long is going to be boring, think again. When I saw it, those three hours just flew by. Because this film is about so much more than mere cricket; it's also about life, love, humanity, courage, and triumph over adversity. It's exciting, entertaining, and thought-provoking, and I guarantee that come the final scene you will be in tears. In English and Hindi (with sub-titles):
[youtube]3kZ4rqqOBvY[/youtube]

I'm going to do this off the top of my head so they may not be in the right order and there may not be 10 but here goes.

This Sporting Life (1963 Rugby League starring Richard Harris), brilliant film recorded at Belle Vue, home of Wakefield Trinity.
There's only One Jimmy Grimble (2000) (Football) Excellent, best football based film I've seen.
Slapshot (1977 Ice Hockey starring Paul Newman) Brilliantly funny film. A bit like
Mean Machine (1974, American football starring Burt Reynolds, not the woeful remake with Vinnie Jones). Very funny.
Cool Runnings (1993, Bobsled starring John Candy) lovely tale based loosely on fact.
Raging Bull (1980, Boxing starring Robert De Niro) Jake la Motta's biography.
Heaven Can wait (1978 American football starring Warren Beatty)
Mike Bassett, England manager (2001, football starring Ricky Tomlinson)


Struggling now, Rocky was ok, entertaining but little more as were films like Field Of Dreams, The Waterboy, although Escape To Victory is utter pap. Sorry

Some good choices there, to be fair the original mean machine nearly made it on my list. Escape To Victory is one I remember loving when i was a kid and we all used to try and do a few of pele' tricks, plus it had Sylvester Stallone in it who I was always a big fan of. I expect its one of those if I watch it now its probably crap, but it is in the radio listeners top 10 also.

'The Damned United' wasn't too bad either.

Good shout, The Damned United, another one that very nearly made my top 10.

Brian Clough was great!

After watching this film I went on youtube and found the actual interview that happened with Don Revie and Cloughie. Really good.

[youtube]ws4S3mPSJ3Q[/youtube]

EmetEdadsBeard wrote:I'm going to do this off the top of my head so they may not be in the right order and there may not be 10 but here goes.

This Sporting Life (1963 Rugby League starring Richard Harris), brilliant film recorded at Belle Vue, home of Wakefield Trinity.
There's only One Jimmy Grimble (2000) (Football) Excellent, best football based film I've seen.
Slapshot (1977 Ice Hockey starring Paul Newman) Brilliantly funny film. A bit like
Mean Machine (1974, American football starring Burt Reynolds, not the woeful remake with Vinnie Jones). Very funny.
Cool Runnings (1993, Bobsled starring John Candy) lovely tale based loosely on fact.
Raging Bull (1980, Boxing starring Robert De Niro) Jake la Motta's biography.
Heaven Can wait (1978 American football starring Warren Beatty)
Mike Bassett, England manager (2001, football starring Ricky Tomlinson)


Struggling now, Rocky was ok, entertaining but little more as were films like Field Of Dreams, The Waterboy, although Escape To Victory is utter pap. Sorry

love this sporting life.....

would like to add "paradise alley" a stallone starring/directed film from circa 1978 about wrestling.

and I liked the damned united - although they did mix the fact and fiction, michael sheen was excellent as well as a great cast.

Paradise Alley was great, a really good one of Stallones that hardly gets mentioned. This film got made partly because of Rocky's success and I think a lot of people might have thought it was going to be a wrestling version of Rocky but Stallone isnt the wrestler in it, his characters brother is and if I remember right it was set in the 1940's. The film features a few pro wrestlers and it was made a few years before WWE became famous on national and international tv.

I've got an old video of it, that I'm going to have to dig out and watch now.

I forgot 'This Sporting Life'; can hardly remember it now, except that it was an excellent film.

chunkygull wrote:Paradise Alley was great, a really good one of Stallones that hardly gets mentioned. This film got made partly because of Rocky's success and I think a lot of people might have thought it was going to be a wrestling version of Rocky but Stallone isnt the wrestler in it, his characters brother is and if I remember right it was set in the 1940's. The film features a few pro wrestlers and it was made a few years before WWE became famous on national and international tv.

I've got an old video of it, that I'm going to have to dig out and watch now.

spot on chunk.

check this out from wiki.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Alley

and in true stallone fashion, "you aint nothin but a greaseball"...... =D

Just found Paradise Alley on youtube -

[youtube]viC6L0jRGjE[/youtube]

Holy crap, Sylvester Stallone sings the theme tune. Blimey I know his brother Frank sings a lot of songs in his films but thats ridiculous. Cor, dear, I remember him singing country and western in a film called Rhinestone with Dolly Parton and although bad enough his singing was better than it is here.

Still he could probably win The Voice!

If motorcycle racing on salt flats counts, I'd simply watch 'The World's Fastest Indian' ten times.

Matt.

Yep, it definitely counts!

Just finished watching Paradise Alley.

Seabiscuit