American Sports Films

America is a country literally obsessed with sports. It seems its population starts training and playing sports games as early as kindergarten. But in high school, athletes already clearly represent a special caste of respected individuals…

Top Five Sports Movies Made in the USA

And what’s wrong with that? First of all, sports build character — they teach you not only to celebrate victories, but also to accept defeat. And then strive for more.

“Cinderella Man”, 2005

The Great Depression left many without a livelihood, but James Braddock can’t make a living for a different reason. His past successes and injuries keep him from participating in serious fights. The threat of starvation drives him to work at the docks, but competition there is fierce. He’s offered a shabby fight for a small fee — he agrees, but breaks his hand in the ring. It seems he’ll never return to it… But that’s an illusion, and he will still win his greatest victory — against a champion who knocks out his opponents.

The original title is more interesting: “Cinderella Man.” That’s what the press called the aging boxer — “willing to fight for food.”

“Ford vs. Ferrari”, 2019

Early 1960s. The Ford Motor Company is going through a crisis, while its Italian competitors — Ferrari — are at their peak. Their cars and teams consistently dominate the prestigious endurance race — the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford manager Lee Iacocca proposes a merger with the Italians, but negotiations with Enzo Ferrari fall through. There’s only one way out — to build a car capable of beating the competition in the race…

According to Matt Damon, Christian Bale had to lose 70 pounds (almost 32 kg!) before filming. He did it. When asked “how?!” he replied, “I just didn’t eat.”

“The Karate Kid”, 2010

Widow Sherry Parker and her 12-year-old son Dre move to Beijing. The woman tries to find a job, while the boy tries to get along with his peers. Because of a girl they both like, he’s targeted by an aggressive bully and his gang. To avoid becoming an outcast, Dre takes an interest in martial arts. One day, an elderly maintenance man named Mr. Han helps him fend off the gang, cleverly making them stumble into each other — and turns out to be a brilliant teacher!

The jacket trick used to teach kung fu movements to beginners was invented by Jackie Chan.

“Brian Banks”, 2018

Eleven years ago, he was wrongly convicted of rape — he had only kissed a classmate, then ran away when teachers approached. The girl falsely accused him — and so much for his football dreams! Now he’s out on parole, but all his movements are monitored, and he must stay 2,000 feet away from public places. He fights tirelessly to prove his innocence — and eventually returns to his dream of playing football.

Brian’s NFL career was short, but many of his high school teammates went further — some even played internationally.