The Olympic games are a quadrennial athletic festival attended by most countries in the world. The Olympics have been in existence since Ancient Greece and was officially revived in 1896. The Olympic Games are a way for the world to unite through athletics with healthy competition. It rouses the inner patriot in us all and is a wonderful way for citizens to unite over a common interest and goal.
Just like everything else, the Olympics have seen a great deal of media coverage, whether it's the actual games themselves being televised or fictionalized accounts of true stories recreated in cinema, the Olympics are a hot topic. From modern films that cover the darker truths behind the burn of competition like I, Tonya to the recreation of the miracle no one saw coming in Miracle, everyone loves a juicy story about victory and the lengths some will go to achieve it. These are the best movies about the Olympics, ranked.
8 Foxcatcher
Foxcatcher tells the dark tale of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz who is invited to John du Pont’s estate to come and train with him and build a team for the 1988 Olympic wrestling team. Tensions rise as du Pont’s methods affect Mark’s self-esteem, and Mark’s brother Dave steps in to try to help. This biographical film is based on the tragedy of Dave Schultz’s murder at the hands of John du Pont, chronicling the build-up to the day of the murder. Foxcatcher received a number of nominations at the Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Director. While Foxcatcher was well received by critics, it was also criticized for deviating from the real-life story, including leaving out that John du Pont had a history of violence against his ex-wife.
7 Cool Runnings
Loosely following the true story of the Jamaican bob-sled team that participated in the 1988 Winter Olympics despite having never seen snow, Cool Runnings follows the Jamaican bob-sled team determined to make it to the Olympics. With the help of former champion Irving (John Candy) who was disqualified for cheating during the 1972 Winter Olympics, the team gets together and works to qualify for the Olympics and represent Jamaica. Cool Runnings was well-received by all, seen as a truly inspirational story of working hard to achieve your dreams.
6 Miracle
Starring Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks, hired to coach the 1980 U.S. Olympics Hockey Team. An upgrade from his gig as a college coach, Brooks brings a unique style of coaching to the rink. After his team of college all-stars is humiliated, he unites the team to work hard and defeat their Soviet foes. The team became a symbol of American patriotism amidst the political tensions of the Cold War. Based on the true story of the “Miracle on Ice,” in which the American Hockey team overcame all odds and took home the gold, Miracle won the Best Sports Movie ESPY Award in 2004.
5 Munich
Munich is based on the novel Vengeance which was based around the Munich massacre at the 1972 Olympics in which 11 Israeli Olympians were killed. Munich follows Avner Kaufman who is tasked with retaliation by the Israeli government against the Palestine Liberation Organization, targeting 11 individuals. As Avner carries out the assassinations, he begins to question the morality of his actions. Munich was nominated for five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Score. While the film was subject to a great deal of praise, it also received a great deal of scrutiny for portraying the Israeli assassins as terrorists, as well as implying that retaliation should never be issued by government.
4 Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire follows two young runners in the United Kingdom train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddel, a devout Christian refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath and Harold Abrahams, a Jew who manages to overcome anti-Semitism from his class. Both of these men have one thing in common, their love of running. Based on a true story, Chariots of Fire was nominated for seven Academy Awards and took home four, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The film became so iconic that it was eventually adapted for the stage in honor of the 2012 Olympics in London.
3 I, Tonya
I, Tonya tells the true story of Tonya Harding’s rise to fame after completing a triple axel during a competition and how her world changes forever when her ex-husband seeks to eliminate Tonya’s competition, Nancy Kerrigan. Both these women were Olympic hopefuls and the attack on Kerrigan forever tainted Tonya’s reputation. Margot Robbie stars as Tonya Harding with Allison Janney as Harding’s mother. The film was based on “contradictory” interviews of Harding and her ex-husband, suggesting that the pair are unreliable storytellers, leaving it up to the audience to decide if the film is a fictionalized version of the story or the truth.
2 The Cutting Edge
The Cutting Edge follows spoiled figure skater Kate who gets paired with side-lined hockey player Doug to represent the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics. The pair clash at first but eventually grow to bond against their shared Soviet competitors. During their training and tumultuous relationship, Doug eventually falls for Kate. The two perform with the most passion they’ve ever shown on ice and Kate reciprocates Doug’s love. The Cutting Edge was a great success and sparked the beginning of The Cutting Edge franchise, spawning a number of sequels, most of which were TV movies.
1 Unbroken
Angelina Jolie makes another appearance as director in Unbroken. Jack O’Connell stars as Louis Zamperini, a troubled boy who turns his anger into running, earning himself the nickname of “The Torrance Tornado” and eventually qualifying for the 1936 Olympics, setting a record in the final lap for the 5000-metre race. When the War breaks out Zamperini enlists and when his plane crash lands, he manages to survive 47 days on a raft before he is captured by the Japanese Navy and is brought to a POW camp where he suffers unimaginable horrors. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards and won Jack O’Connell a New Hollywood Award.