Who doesn't love a good (or great) underdog? The one that rises to the top amidst opposition from all corners. The one that overcomes class, caste, racial, or economic barriers, aside from other complexities.
Imagine a filmmaker uninterested in sports who makes one that later becomes one of the most celebrated classics of all time. Martin Scorsese and muse Robert De Niro explore unchecked anger, jealousy, and self-destructive tendencies.
The real-life subject of Raging Bull has a brief role in this hard-hitting pool game classic headlined by acting heavyweights Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, and George C. Scott.
Ron Howard's exhilarating racing drama pits two real-life legends — an in-form Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruh — against each other. It's a potent mix of strong performances and spectacle, with a rousing Hans Zimmer score.
The first example of a real-time narrative and one of Scorsese's filmmaking influences for Raging Bull, which sees actor Robert Ryan delivering a leading man performance with the same intensity as his negative roles.
Who knows how many films have been influenced by this pathbreaking but underappreciated epic directed by John Frankenheimer? Without it, we probably wouldn't have got films like 'Rush', Tony Scott's 'Days of Thunder' or Joseph Kosinski's 'F1'.
A legend of Muhammad Ali's stature couldn't have got a better biopic — from director Michael Mann, who eschewed conventional narrative formats to create a one-of-a-kind audio-visual experience. The Director's Cut is much preferred.
This John Huston film is a sports drama and prisoner-of-war drama rolled into one. It's what you get when the prisoners happen to be football players, one of whom is the Brazilian football legend, Pelé.
Set against the backdrop of caste politics, warring gangs, and concerned mentors and family members, Pa. Ranjith's epic is masterfully directed, edited, and acted. Is it too early to call it a masterpiece?