#1 Raging Bull
Arguably Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s finest film, ‘Raging Bull’ is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero. This riveting Martin Scorsese drama follows boxer Jake LaMotta as he takes his fair share of hits — in and out of the ring.
#2 Jerry Maguire
Tom Cruise plays a sports agent who suffers a crisis of conscience in Cameron Crowe’s 1996 sports drama/ love story that made a star out of Renée Zellweger, entered the phrase “show me the money!” into the lexicon and, as a bonus for Detroit sports fans, features a quickie cameo from former Lions coach Wayne Fontes. (R, 139 mins, 1996) It’s on Netflix now!
#3 Hoosiers
Hoosiers is a 1986 sports film about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. The story is set during 1951/1952, when all high schools in Indiana, regardless of size, competed in one state championship tournament. It is loosely based on the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship. This is an all timer, even if you’re not a big basketball fan.
Some other top movies on our list are Money Ball with Brad Pitt, and Space Jam with Michael Jordan. Next week we’ll dive into the top 10 greatest sports movies of all time. Will The Wrestler with Rourke make the cut?