Which boxing movie had the most realistic boxing?

[physiker]

In your opinion, which Hollywood (type) film (no docs) depicted the actors engaging in as close to real boxing as possible?

Alternatively which actor might have become a good boxer by film's end?

In commentary, Jake LaMotta said that DeNiro could have then turned pro and won many matches.

In the Hurricane, Denzel W. said he trained for a whole year before filming and IMO looked pretty damn good.

Rocky was a fine film, but to me some of the shots can be seen missing by well over a foot.

The earlier Hollywood boxing films included some great dramas, but were poor in the boxing dept.

What do you think?

[jqSide]

None of them are. I've never seen any that resembles real-life boxing. They all suck. Actors that star in one should be real-life boxers, period. Unless they're not focusing on the sport.

There's got to be a way to make it real like employing visual effects that is very much available right now. Actors could probably start by acting in a slow mo where all punches really reach each other, then speed it up in the editing room. Details can be added using high-tech animation.

[physiker]

And should we give honorable mention to Hillary Swank in M$ Baby?

To me, not on the level of the other two.

[Phil Ivey]

pretty much the downfalls of most boxing films, is the fight sequence. Rocky especially where the fights were poorly shot imo and Rocky moving around with no defense whatsoever (didn't even attempt to have his hands up despite being jabbed to the face the whole fight), still beats most boxing films though.

[physiker]

None of them are. I've never seen any that resembles real-life boxing. They all suck. Actors that star in one should be real-life boxers, period. Unless they're not focusing on the sport.

There's got to be a way to make it real like employing visual effects that is very much available right now. Actors could probably start by acting in a slow mo where all punches really reach each other, then speed it up in the editing room. Details can be added using high-tech animation.

Thanks.
I wonder if the director is part of the problem?

But your good suggestion about using real boxers may not work because it is probably difficult to be a good actor in the non-boxing parts of the film.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought Ernie Shavers said he was considered for one of the Rocky movies? Maybe it was the Clubber Lang part? And that he "sparred" with Stallone. Until Stallone told him to stop hitting air or mostly air, and to really hit him. And Shavers said he then hit him with a small percentage of his power and Stallone collapsed or such, was it broken ribs too?

Of course, thinking on this we do have actors like Dolph Lundgren who had been a kickboxing champ and the others in the karate genre. But the boxing or M.A. depicted is still often not realistic even though we have real martial artists involved.

Perhaps this is why Bruce Lee movies are beloved? Some of it includes some amazing fight sequences. I think of Lee against the guy who had attacked his sister in Enter The Dragon.

But that's Karate/MMA and not boxing.

Again maybe it shows that the directors/producers really do not want accurate depictions in boxing movies? They want it all to be over the top to some degree?

[paulf]

The first few rounds of Rock VI (Rock Balboa), which were filmed like an HBO PPV event. Very well done.

[tibbar]

None of them are. I've never seen any that resembles real-life boxing. They all suck. Actors that star in one should be real-life boxers, period. Unless they're not focusing on the sport.

There's got to be a way to make it real like employing visual effects that is very much available right now. Actors could probably start by acting in a slow mo where all punches really reach each other, then speed it up in the editing room. Details can be added using high-tech animation.

Requiem For a Heavyweight comes to mind, boxing greats of that era appears in that film in cameo roles.

[jqSide]

What I meant was they should really box. Yes, in many cases the opponent of the leading man or hero is a real-life boxer. Mickey Rourke may have starred in one, I don't remember, but still most of them were just acting like they really got hit. It's very dangerous of course to let them go at it, with the opponent letting the lead man do his thing.

That's why the only way they could make it appear real is use some kind of technology, I don't know. Like, in many fight sequences, non-boxing or not, a slow motion is sometimes incorporated for dramatic effect. They can go backwards -- fight in a slow mo, then speed it up in the editing. I haven't seen anyone do it, so far as I know.

[physiker]

Requiem For a Heavyweight comes to mind, boxing greats of that era appears in that film in cameo roles.

I recall that one had a young Cassius Clay destroying Anthony Quinn.

But I was asking in this thread if the boxing sequences were realistic, and while I can't totally recall the Quinn/Clay boxing, I don't think it was too realistic.

I thought Raging Bull was, but maybe it was just graphic and not realistic.

And what about Rocky 5 was it, with Tommy Morrison? I still think the boxing in the Rocky films was to me over the top. Shots mostly hitting the air far from the actors, but then the actors over-reacting to them.

But that may be a summary of all Hollywood boxing movies as you all are saying above.

[KingTito]

Maybe they don't want it to be realistic in movies. Of course boxing fans would like it to be, but I suppose they figure the average person going to see it just wants to see non stop action, as unrealistic as it may be. I can't really think of any movies that were very realistic. The camera work in the beginning of the last Rocky movie was good, especially with a real boxer, Antonio Tarver, in there.