12. My Punch-Drunk Boxer (Jung Hyuk-ki, 2019, S. Korea)
Jung Hyuk-ki and actor Cho Hyun-chul expand the script from their short “Dempseyroll: Confessions” to analyze further the emotions and state of the characters already existing in the short. It is essentially an underdog story, but one with much higher stakes for its lead character. There is also the love angle that works as the character’s support system as seen often in this genre, but the fresh chemistry between the leads manages to hold attention. Throughout the narrative, there’s also an interesting running theme of how people and places both change and evolve and with them, so do our memories of them. No matter how hard you try to hold on to these memories – in the case of the characters, through photographs, holding onto a gym in a time when the locality is redeveloping or through ghosts of your own past – life has a funny way of eventually changing it all up for you. (Rhythm Zaveri)
Buy This Title
13. Chasing Dream (Johnnie To, 2019, Hong Kong)
All in all, “Chasing Dream” is a well-crafted popcorn romantic comedy/melodrama, with a striking and charming visual and effervescent pace, undoubtedly targeted at a young Mainland China market but also to whoever feels the need for a blast of bubblegum pop music and energetic fights for your dreams, whatever they might be. (Adriana Rosati)
14. One Second Champion (Chiu Sin-hang, 2020, Hong Kong)
Hong Kong is having a hard time at the moment and “One Second Champion”’s positive tale of underdogs offers a very welcome and uplifting moment of escapism, with its likable characters, its aura of nostalgia and its display of sportsmanship and tenacity. (Adriana Rosati)
15. Fighter (Jero Yun, 2020, South Korea)
Jero Yun uses his extensive experience with North Korean refugees into his script to give a well-informed character study of one such individual and her struggles not only in adapting to the new world around her but also to live a fulfilling, dignified life for herself and her father. The title “FIGHTER” really tells best of her struggles, with Ji-na proving to be a fighter in more ways than one. In addition to being a fighter in the ring, she fights a prejudiced vision of the South Korean people towards those from the North every day, to be accepted and seen as an equal. Of course there are several cultural clashes that Yun portrays well- seeing a fully tattooed arm, women in gym outfits or even a man casually asking to walk her home- but Ji-na fights through those to try to adapt and live a normal life. (Rhythm Zaveri)
16. Blue (Keisuke Yoshida, 2021, Japan)
“Blue” is an idyllic love letter to the world of combative sports. A wonderfully crafted drama with strong performances, the film transcends the restraints of being tied to those who have an interest in boxing. Essentially, fans of the sport are likely to come out with a deeper appreciation of the work, but it won’t isolate the casual fan. One of the more competent and heartwarming dramas in recent memory, I can’t speak the praises of “Blue” highly enough – don’t miss out on this one! (Adam Symchuk)
17. Gensan Punch (Brillante Mendoza, 2021, Philippines)
The overall approach Mendoza implemented benefits the most by the rather naturalistic performance of Shogen, who is truly convincing in all aspects of his character, including as a foreigner who tries to adapt, as a handicapped but rather resolved fighter, as a young man who is searching for some kind of fatherly connection, and lastly, as a rather polite individual that barely ever gets angry, in an aspect that makes the sole moment he does, even more intense. Granted, the way the film is shot does not give much chance to the audience to truly get to know Nao, but Shogen‘s acting definitely compensates in that regard, as he presents a character that is rather difficult not to like. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
18. Small, Slow but Steady (Sho Miyake, 2022, Japan)
Yukino Kishii delivers a stellar performance as a young woman with passion for, what is still believed to be – a very masculine sport, and she convinces with her composed, calm approach to the role. As we found out during the interview with Sho Miyake, the road to this seemingly smooth portrayal of Keiko‘s life took meticulous preparations. Firstly, not only that Yukino had no previous experience with boxing, she also had to learn the sign language and to indulge into the world of silence. Also, the director himself had to learn a thing or two about this allegedly ‘noble’ sport which doesn’t take prisoners and occasionally even take lives. Both of them took boxing lessons, and that wasn’t the easiest thing to pull off. (Marina Richter)
19. COUNT 100 (Hiroshi Tamaki, 2023, Japan)
Hiroshi Tamaki directs a movie about a man that seems to get his wish granted, only to realize that taking a step back and letting his life unfold without him meddling is not exactly satisfactory, in a rather philosophical comment about life and inaction. Furthermore, Tamaki seems to state that fighting with yourself is a necessary concept in life, although nothing guarantees win. Lastly, the “clone” seems to state what someone must do in order to excel in his own life, with the boxing match scene expressing this comment clearly. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
20. Last Bloom (Takahisa Zeze, 2023, Japan)
At the same time though, what both the aforementioned titles have in their finale (Rocky in the first installment) is an uncertainty about whether the protagonist will win at the end. This lack of certainty works excellently for a movie that could easily have the protagonist lose and then follow a more dramatic path, in a style we have seen in Toshiaki Toyoda‘s “Unchain” for example. I feel that this element, and the appeal of the underdog that fights against all odds of course, makes the particular recipe quite successful, even today, and even to the viewer that has witnessed it time and time again. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
