50 Best Sports Movies Ever

26. Victory

Year: 1981
Sport: World Football
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Daniel Massey, Max von Sydow, Pelé
Director: John Huston

During the 1980s, American filmmakers engaged in something of a propaganda war against foreign foes. Topics covered included the Cold War and, revisited many times, World War II.

One of those movies was Victory, which featured a high-profile cast and a world-renowned athlete who was transitioning into acting.

Victory is most commonly recognized as the film that brought Pelé from the world football pitch onto the global silver screen—and, again, the world football pitch. Directed by John Huston, this story of Allied prisoners of war highlights how a group of men utilize the sport to conduct an escape plan.

The action on the pitch is executed well, the story is told in a similarly proficient manner, and the acting is on par with what one would expect from a cast this prolific.

It falls just outside of the Top 25, but that’s no slight on a film that’s as important as any on this list.

Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone deliver in this high-stakes football affair, and Max Von Sydow steals his scenes. This is a movie that was important for the time it was made and still resounds as a strong piece of art today.

If you haven’t seen Victory, also styled as Escape to Victory, then you’re missing out.

Next: 25. The Sandlot