50 Best Sports Movies Ever

35. Ali

Year: 2001
Sport: Boxing
Starring: Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight,
Director: Michael Mann

Everyone has an opinion about who the greatest boxer of all-time is. If any one man can be named as the most common nominee, however, it’s legendary heavyweight and microphone menace Muhammad Ali.

In 2001, acclaimed director Michael Mann and vaunted actor Will Smith tried their hand at honoring Ali’s life and career in the appropriately titled Ali.

Mann, director of director of legendary films such as Heat and The Last of the Mohicans, was given high expectations leading up to the release of Ali. His previous film, The Insider, received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Having solidified his place as a comedy legend and hip hop star, Smith’s try at a dramatic role kept Mann’s success alive.

That scene is one of the most memorable, sampled and quoted in all of cinema—whether sports or otherwise.

Smith’s performance in Ali earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He was joined by Jon Voight, who received a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Jamie Foxx, who broke out in the dramatic role of Drew “Bundini” Brown.

Ali isn’t the most flawless of boxing films, but Smith’s powerful performance helps its ranking tremendously on this list and in the canon of great films all-time.

Next: 34. The Wrestler