The Olympic movies have retained their popularity, as the Olympics is a passionate place for sports-loving cosmopolitans. Due to the epidemic coronavirus, the world missed this festival celebrating every four years in 2020. Since July 23, 2021, the Olympics has brought back the festive mood among all. This international reunion of Olympians will continue till August 6, 2021. In this period of the Olympics, these best sports movies can accompany you greatly.
10 Best Olympic Movies to Carry the Spirit of Sports
Children of Glory (2006) | Hungary
6.9/10 IMDb | 75% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
In this film, a water polo match takes place between Hungary and Russia in the Olympics in Melbourne, just while Hungarian rebels fight against the tanks of the Soviet Union from their home street.
Eva Gardos, Geza Beremenyi, and Reka Divinyi wrote the film’s screenplay under the direction of Krisztina Goda. The film stars Kata Dobo, Ivan Fenyo, and Sandor Csanyi.
This film, made on the Hungarian revolt of 1956, won the Audience Choice Award at Stony Brook Film Festival 2008 for the Best feature film.
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Take Off (2009) | South Korea
6.9/10 IMDb | 75% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Five Koreans manage to qualify in the winter Olympics ski jumping even after all the ups and downs. Kim Yong-Hwa worked on both the direction and the writing of the film based on this plot.
Ha Jung-Woo won awards as the best actor at Chunsa Film Art Awards, Max Movie Awards, and Baeksang Arts Awards for starring in the film. Kim Yong-Hwa bagged awards at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, Grand Bell Awards, and Blue Dragon Film Awards as Best Director.
T-Rex (2015) | America
7.3/10 IMDb | 85% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
This documentary film depicts the spiny journey of Claressa Shields, the first Olympic gold winner as a female boxer, to success.
Sue Jaye Johnson and Bianca Darville produced the film. The entire crew captured the entire match under the direction of Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper.
The film won the Audience Award, and Special Jury Award, at San Francisco International Film Festival. Moreover, it got the Best Documentary award at Sidewalk Film Festival, and Roger Ebert Prize at Traverse City Film Festival.
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Race (2016) | Africa, America
7.1/10 IMDb | 80% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
This biography presents the quest of Jesse Owens, an African-American runner, to win the four Olympic golds in Hitler’s era.
Stephen Hopkins directed the film while Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse wrote its screenplay. Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, and Eli Goree star in the film.
This commercially successful movie was a joint production of Germany, France, and Canada. Moreover, this sports drama won the Canadian Screen Awards in Best Actor (Stephan James), Best Overall Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Swimming Upstream (2003) | Australia
7.1/10 IMDb | 80% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
This biography movie, directed by Russell Mulcahy, shows the story of an Australian swimmer- Anthony Fingleton from his early life to the Summer Olympics in 1964.
This swimmer, also known as Tony Fingleton, later comes into the movie industry. He wrote the screenplay of this film according to his autobiography which was co-written by his sister Diane Fingleton.
The film got FCCA Award at Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards in Best Supporting Actor - Female (Judy Davis), Best screenplay - adapted (Anthony Fingleton), and Best Editing (Marcus D'Arcy).
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Eddie the Eagle (2016) | UK
7.4/10 IMDb | 82% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
This comedy-drama follows Michael Edwards, who once had trouble walking, finally broke all the previous records in Olympics as a British ski jumper.
Sean Macaulay wrote the screenplay with Simon Kelton's story and Dexter Fletcher’s direction. Taron Egerton played the lead role in this biography. Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken, and Jim Broadbent played as the supporting characters.
The film won the Audience Choice Award as Best International Film at Bali International Film Festival and the Truly Moving Picture Award at Heartland Film.
Tokyo Olympiad (1966) | Japan
7.9/10 IMDb | 88% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Based on the Summer Olympics of Tokyo in 1964, this is by far the best documentary made on sports. Here, the lives of the Olympians got more importance than the results of the Olympics.
Kon Ichikawa, Natto Wada, Yoshio Shirasaka, Shintaro Tanikawa, and Kon Ichikawa, also, the director of the movie wrote the screenplay of the film.
The film, starring Abebe Bikila, Jack Douglas, and Ahmed Issa, set the best highest-grossing benchmark in Japan after its release.
This docu-drama won Flaherty Documentary Award and UN Award in BAFTA Awards.
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Miracle (2004) | America
7.5/10 IMDb | 90% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
This biographical film features the American Olympic Hockey team that maintained a continuous victory by the supervision of Herb Brooks, gold winner in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
Gavin O'Connor directed this film, scripted by Eric Guggenheim and Mike Rich. This Disney production film stars Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, and Noah Emmerich.
The film won AARP Movies for Grownups Award as Best Intergenerational Film and ESPY Award as Best Sports Movie.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) | India
8.2/10 IMDb | 84% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
The original concept came from ‘The Race of My Life’, an autobiography of Milkha Singh. Singh’s daughter Sonia Sanwalka also co-wrote this book. Milkha Singh was a Commonwealth and Asian Games Champion. The film story portrayed the India-Pakistan conflict in the background.
Prasoon Joshi prepared the screenplay under the direction of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. Farhan Akhtar played Milkha Singh. Sonam Kapoor, Prakash Raj, and Pawan Malhotra star in the film.
This biographical drama won Filmfare Award, International Indian Film Academy Award, Producers Guild Film Awards, Screen Awards as Best Film.
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The Other Dream Team (2012) | Lithuania
8.4/10 IMDb | 88% Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
This film documented the bronze-winning of the Lithuanian basketball team in the Barcelona Summer Olympics and the Lithuanian revolt to be free from the clutches of Russia in 1992.
Jon Weinbach and Marius A. Markevicius, also the director of the film, wrote the screenplay and produced the film. This 89 min long film captured the interviews of iconic Basketball figures including Arvydas Sabonis, David Stern, Jim Lampley, Bill Walton, and Sarunas Marciulionis.
The movie got the Grand Jury Prize nomination at the Sundance Film Festival and the PGA award nomination at the Producers Guild of America Award.
Summing up
Beyond the characters in these top-rated Olympic movies, there are stories of many lifelong endeavors that have yet to hit the screens. Just as this multi-ethnic entertainment platform has brought together many cultures in one place, it has turned many people's lives around. Sports enthusiasts still go ahead with the dream of the Olympics.
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