20 movies like The Harder They Fall, ordered by similarity : City for Conquest(1940), Golden Boy(1939), Raging Bull(1980), Knockout(1941), Jawbone(2017), The Set-Up(1949), The Champ(1931), Requiem for a Heavyweight(1962), Body and Soul(1947), Million Dollar Baby(2004), Girlfight(2000), Killer's Kiss(1955) ...
Drama
USA
1956
109 Minutes
Humphrey Bogart Rod Steiger Jan Sterling Mike Lane Max Baer Edward Andrews
sportswriter boxer promoter immigrant con artist dark gritty boxing ring new york city boxing corruption deception fixed game rise fall sacrifice 1950s
An ex-sportswriter is hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.
Drama
USA
1940
101 Minutes
James Cagney Ann Sheridan Frank Craven Donald Crisp Frank McHugh Arthur Kennedy
boxer dancer girlfriend younger brother truck driver composer uplifting gripping gritty melodramatic new york city lower east side carnegie hall boxing ring apartment boxing self-sacrifice aspirations corruption blindness
Danny is a content truck driver, but his girl Peggy shows potential as a dancer and hopes he too can show ambition. Danny acquiesces and pursues boxing to please her, but the two begin to spend more time working than time together.
Drama
USA
1939
99 Minutes
Barbara Stanwyck Adolphe Menjou William Holden Lee J. Cobb Joseph Calleia Sam Levene Edward Brophy Beatrice Blinn William H. Strauss Don Beddoe
boxer promoter father girlfriend violinist gangster gritty engaging emotional city boxing ring boxing music family love death rise fall escape transformation
Despite his musical talent, Joe Bonaparte wants to be a boxer.
Biography, Drama
USA
1980
128 Minutes
Robert De Niro Cathy Moriarty Joe Pesci Frank Vincent Nicholas Colasanto Theresa Saldana Frank Adonis Mario Gallo Frank Topham Lori Anne Flax Joseph Bono
boxer love interest wife young girl competitor friend dark gritty boxing ring prison new york city miami household jealousy boxing self-destruction redemption emotional abuse paranoia fall
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
Drama
USA
1941
73 Minutes
Arthur Kennedy Olympe Bradna Anthony Quinn Virginia Field Cliff Edwards Cornel Wilde William Edmunds Richard Ainley John Ridgely Frank Wilcox Ben Welden
boxer promoter wife girlfriend gritty gripping powerful office boxing ring small town farm ambition boxing false accusations marriage infidelity drugs rise fall love
A prize-fighter falls under the nefarious influence of an unscrupulous boxing promoter-manager, to the detriment of his marriage.
Action, Drama
UK
2017
91 Minutes
Ian McShane Ray Winstone Johnny Harris Michael Smiley Anna Wilson-Hall Luke J.I. Smith Jon Pegg Haqi Ali
alcoholic boxer poor person trainer brutal brooding confident dark gripping gritty tense united kingdom gym boxing match boxing ring boxing illegal activity underdog 2010s
Former youth boxing champion Jimmy McCabe, after hitting rock bottom, returns to his childhood boxing club and his old team, gym owner Bill and corner-man Eddie.
Drama
1949
72 Minutes
Robert Ryan Audrey Totter George Tobias Alan Baxter Wallace Ford Percy Helton Hal Baylor Darryl Hickman Kenny O'Morrison James Edwards Edwin Max
boxer wife manager mobster brooding intense united states city boxing ring boxing competition betrayal shady dealings corruption fixed game underdog rivalry 1940s
An aging boxer (Robert Ryan) leaves his crying wife (Audrey Totter), then crosses the street for a fixed fight.
Drama
USA
1931
86 Minutes
Wallace Beery Jackie Cooper Irene Rich Roscoe Ates Edward Brophy Hale Hamilton Jesse Scott Marcia Mae Jones
boxer son mother stepfather horse emotional heartwarming moving melodramatic mexico boxing ring tijuana father/son relationship boxing redemption alcoholism separation mother/son relationship love fall
An alcoholic ex-boxer struggles to provide a good living for his son.
Drama
USA
1962
87 Minutes
Anthony Quinn Jackie Gleason Mickey Rooney Julie Harris Stanley Adams Madame Spivy Herbie Faye
boxer cassius clay trainer manager wrestler emotional gripping rousing new york city boxing ring boxing humiliation retirement fall transformation 1960s
Mountain Rivera, a punchy has-been managed by the unprincipled Maish, is mauled in a fight and forced to quit boxing. Can his devoted cutman and a sympathetic social worker help him find a ... See full summary »
Drama
USA
1947
104 Minutes
John Garfield Lilli Palmer Hazel Brooks Anne Revere William Conrad Joseph Pevney Lloyd Gough Canada Lee Art Smith
father boxer promoter mother gritty rousing boxing ring hospital slum corruption death honor rise underdog 1940s
A talented boxer's young career hits difficult terrain when an unethical promoter takes interest in him.
Drama
USA
2004
132 Minutes
Clint Eastwood Hilary Swank Morgan Freeman Anthony Mackie Jay Baruchel Mike Colter Lucia Rijker Margo Martindale Riki Lindhome Brian F. O'Byrne Michael Peña
boxer trainer friend mother emotional moving spirited los angeles boxing ring gym boxing friendship aspirations sports love discovery underdog rise rivalry 2000s
A determined woman works with a hardened boxing trainer to become a professional.
Drama
USA
2000
113 Minutes
Michelle Rodriguez Jaime Tirelli Paul Calderon Santiago Douglas Ray Santiago Elisa Bocanegra Shannon Walker Williams Iris Little-Thomas John Sayles
student boxer trainer father gritty inspiring high school household boxing ring boxing scandal discrimination confrontation loneliness discovery rise transformation 2000s
Diana, without her father knowing it, trains as a boxer and achieves impressive success, blazing new trails for female boxers.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
USA
1955
67 Minutes
Frank Silvera Jamie Smith Irene Kane Jerry Jarrett Mike Dana Felice Orlandi Shaun O'Brien Barbara Brand
boxer dancer boss manager thug landlord dark gritty melodramatic gripping new york city boxing ring roof apartment warehouse nightclub kidnapping doomed romance jealousy murder
Ready to catch a train to his hometown, a washed-up boxer tells us about the strange and twisty events that happened to him the past couple of days.
Action, Drama
USA
2009
105 Minutes
Channing Tatum Terrence Howard Zulay Henao Luis Guzman Roger Guenveur Smith Brian J. White Peter Tambakis Anthony DeSando Jermel Wilson
counterfeiter con artist waitress fighter coach boxer gritty engaging brutal intense frightening outlandish new york city café church nightclub store boxing match exploitation crime
In New York City, a young counterfeiter is introduced to the world of underground street fighting by a seasoned scam artist, who becomes his manager on the bare-knuckling brawling circuit.
Biography, Drama
USA
2005
144 Minutes
Russell Crowe Renée Zellweger Paul Giamatti Craig Bierko Paddy Considine Bruce McGill Ron Canada David Huband Connor Price Ariel Waller Patrick Louis
boxer manager max baer wife uplifting emotional new jersey new york city boxing ring office family home boxing salvation marriage poverty class distinctions james j. braddock underdog rise transformation
The story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer who came back to challenge for the heavyweight championship of the world.
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
UK
2012
99 Minutes
Michelle Ryan Peter Mullan David Harewood Theo Barklem-Biggs Bhasker Patel Ray Panthaki Ashley Thomas Jason Maza Jenny Jules Carl Barât
young man boxer gangster father trainer bleak brutal brooding cool gripping gritty gutsy london boxing ring prison street life boxing violence gangsters
A thriller centered on a young boxer trying to distance himself from his father's gangster past and the relationship with his trainer.
Drama
UK
2017
56 Minutes
Adam J. Bernard Daniel Johns Santino Zicchi Phoebe Torrance
boxer former legend love interest lover enemy opponent thrilling suspenseful engaging emotional intense boxing match boxing ring boxing secret past secret criminal past attraction ambition adventure
Amongst the 2011 London riots, a former boxer must choose between his past or a new future.
Drama
France
2018
95 Minutes
Mathieu Kassovitz Olivia Merilahti Billie Blain Lyès Salem David Saracino Yves Afonso Alban Lenoir Max Geller Souleymane M'Baye Tomy Leconte Ali Labidi
wife champion child boxer emotional heartwarming melancholy beach city apartment boxing match coach boxing ring training relationships life story boxing aging hard times love
Steve Landry, an aging boxer with more losses than wins, accepts to become a sparring partner for an emerging champion in a last-ditch attempt to stay relevant.
Drama
USA|Canada
1982
99 Minutes
Sylvester Stallone Mr. T Talia Shire Carl Weathers Burt Young Burgess Meredith Ian Fried Hulk Hogan Al Silvani Tony Burton Wally Taylor
friend rival trainer wife boxer cool powerful rousing philadelphia boxing ring gym new york city madison square garden boxing celebrity redemption pride dangerous assignment rocky balboa temptation
After winning the ultimate title and being the world champion, Rocky falls into a hole and finds himself picked up by a former enemy.
Drama
USA
1952
79 Minutes
Ralph Meeker Leslie Caron Kurt Kaszner Gilbert Roland John McIntire Louis Armstrong Dan Seymour Larry Gates John Indrisano
boxer girlfriend father war hero dancer blind person inspiring gutsy patriotic new orleans boxing ring locker room korea bar doctor's office boxing korean war duty secret blindness
New Orleans newspaper columnist, about to retire, tells the story of a most unforgettable character, boxer Socks Barbarossa.
Drama
USA
1988
112 Minutes
Mickey Rourke Christopher Walken Debra Feuer Thomas Quinn Kevin Conway Antony Alda Jon Polito Bill Slayton
boxer promoter love interest criminal bleak asbury park, n.j. boardwalk beach boxing ring hideout boxing new love crime friendship corruption mental impairment transformation temptation love 1980s
A simple self-destructive drifter and tough small-time boxer with a brain injury that could kill him meets and falls for a cute beach carnival owner, Ruby, but also befriends a sleazy friendly criminal, Wesley, who's planing a big score.