There's nothing quite like a good sports movie to lift the human spirit and make you want to hit the gym. With that in mind, Spling lists the top 5 sports movies to date.

Rocky

1976

Sport movies pride themselves on the underdog story and Sylvester Stallone’s award-winning Rocky is testament to the triumph of the human spirit. The young Stallone began carving a long Hollywood career in 1976, after insisting he stars in his own movie, despite the studio wanting to cast a known actor.

Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger song became a sporting anthem the moment Rocky Balboa ascended those steps and the film’s nuggety and sincere quality continues to shine through. Rocky embodies determination, perseverance and going the distance, principles that we can learn from and admire as sports fans.

Best sporting moment: When the bell rings on the 15^th round and all Rocky can think of is “Adrian!”.

Raging Bull

1980

Robert De Niro’s red-blooded performance and amazing physical transformation earned him a well-deserved Oscar for Raging Bull. The actor’s preparation for the role included winning two-of-three genuine Brooklyn boxing matches and gaining 27 kilograms to play the older Jake LaMotta.

The hard-hitting black-and-white sports drama is based on the cantankerous LaMotta, a prize fighter, whose rage wasn’t limited to the ring. Raging Bull remains a masterpiece that saved and cemented Scorsese and De Niro’s dynamic duo. After the real LaMotta saw the film, he realised what a terrible person he had been. When he asked his wife “Was I really like that?”, she replied “You were worse.”

Best sporting moment: In the final fight, when LaMotta is turned into a human punching bag by Sugar Ray Leonard.

Rush

2013

After Tom Cruise got behind the wheel in Days of Thunder and Sylvester Stallone wrote off Driven, it seemed we’d never see a high-calibre, high-octane motor racing movie. Ironically, history helped rewrite history when Ron Howard signed on to direct Rush the biographical drama-turned-thriller about the 1970s F1 championship.

An unlikely sports movie director was supported by two unlikely stars in Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, who deliver underrated performances in a vivid recreation of the merciless rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the F1 Championship. An underdog through-and-through, Rush was unlucky not to get any Oscar nominations.

Best sporting moment: When James Hunt drops his driving gloves to deck a journalist.

The Hustler

1961

Some winners are born to lose. This paradox inspired Robert Rossen to direct The Hustler, a sports drama about a self-destructive pool player who challenges a long-time champion in a high stakes game. Paul Newman is Eddie Felson, a character who was probably inspired by Raging Bull boxing icon, Jake LaMotta, who has a cameo as a bartender.

The Hustler is a dark, beautifully shot and morally complex sports drama, packed full of great performances and led by iconic roles for Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. The film inspired Martin Scorsese to direct The Color of Money, which saw Fast Eddie taking on a protégé.

Best sporting moment: All of the trick shots.

The Wrestler

2008

Wrestling is one of those sports that blurs the line between sportsmanship and entertainment. Whether it’s staged or not, there’s no denying the talent involved, from the character interplay to the live-action stunts. Darren Aronofsky explored a much grittier version of this world with Mickey Rourke playing an aging wrestler on the verge of retirement.

The stalwart role was an undisputed comeback for Rourke and made a fascinating character study as the actor essentially wrestled with demons from his own past. Tough, relentless and deeply affecting, The Wrestler makes a fitting companion piece to Black Swan.

Best sporting moment: When Rourke blades his forehead, for real.

And all the runners up: Moneyball, The Big Blue, Field of Dreams, Chariots of Fire, Hoosiers, Bull Durham and Lagaan.

Article first appearead in TechSmart 130, July 2014.