8 of the best boxing movies of all time

Snatch (2000)

Boxing isn't always about heroes or underdogs. Possibly the most controversial pick on the list is English director Guy Ritchie's Snatch.

The film has little to do with the actual sport of boxing. But the reason it's here is that it puts a spotlight on some of the people that play a role behind the scenes of pugilism in the form of a crime-filled comedy.

Guy Ritchie has his own distinct directing style. Thus Snatch is vastly different from any other film on this list as it doesn't follow any templates from the Rocky movies or classic sports movies.

The story involves a stolen diamond heist and 'Turkish,' a boxing promoter, played by Jason Statham, who has agreed to have one of his fighters take on a rival promoter's fighter. Things take a turn for the worse when his team runs into the wrong group of travelers. Turkish's fighter Gorgeous George runs into bare-knuckle boxing champion Mickey O'Neil who knocks him out with one punch after a disagreement over a caravan.

Brad Pitt's portrayal of O'Neil is what the movie is best known for and is one of his most memorable roles.

The plot unfolds with O'Neil reneging to participate in a fixed fight. He refuses to go down in the fourth round, instead knocking out his opponent, which leads to a series of events that include his mother being killed and a plan to trick everyone involved into escaping with a large amount of money.

Snatch isn't a film about underdogs, a morality battle, or epic matches between rivals in the ring. It's a story about the doldrums and underground that exists in boxing and the often forgotten regional, domestic, and, in this case, international level in the United Kindom.

With its unique cast of characters and exceptional visual storytelling brought by Guy Ritchie, Snatch stands as a film that can be imitated but not duplicated.