50 Best Sports Movies Ever

16. Miracle

Year: 2004
Sport: Hockey
Starring: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Sean McCann, Kenneth Welsh
Director: Gavin O’Connor

Hockey films can be hit or miss, but when they find the mark, the results are marvelous. There have been a number of qualifiable options, but the clear selection for this spot is the Gavin O’Connor directed Miracle.

Telling the true story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and its monstrous task of unseating the heavily favored Russians, Miracle is as good of a hockey film as they come.

It’s an underdog story of the finest form, embodying exactly what it means to live out the American dream. Against all odds, when the stakes are high and the likelihood of success is low, we find a way to achieve what we set out to.

Without any attempt at hyperbole, Miracle was a shining example of what it means to be American.

On the spectrum of great coach versus player arguments in cinema, this scene stands out as one of the best there is.

Miracle stars former Golden Globe nominee Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks and Academy Award nominated actress Patricia Clarkson in the leading actress role. Russell delivers one of the best performances of his career as the take-no-prisoners coach who leads Team USA to unthinkable success.

There are only so many modern films that can be classified as classics, and Miracle is as close as they come.

Next: 15. A League Of Their Own