25 Greatest Sports Films

Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' takes top spot
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 19, 2012 9:38 AM CDT
25 Greatest Sports Films
The DVD cover of "Raging Bull."   (Amazon.com)

Missing the heart-pounding drama and heartwarming victories of the Olympics? Allow Paste to help you out with the 25 greatest sports movies of all time. The top five:

  1. Raging Bull: The Martin Scorsese film stars Robert De Niro as boxer Jake LaMotta, and the "compelling character study" is "often regarded as Scorsese's masterpiece."
  2. Hoosiers: It's not just a tribute to basketball in Indiana; it's also "a morality play, a history, an honest reckoning of the pros and cons of small-town life."

  1. Hoop Dreams: The documentary about young basketball players is an incredibly poignant exploration of the American Dream.
  2. Chariots of Fire: The 1924 Olympics serves as a backdrop in this "British classic," but it's not just about victory and defeat—"the Games are a lesson in religious tolerance and sheer determination."
  3. The Natural: Barry Levinson's film, starring Robert Redford, is quite simply "the greatest" baseball movie ever.
Click for the full list. (More movies stories.)

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