Movies Like Unlicensed

If you liked Unlicensed (2012), a movie directed by James Esposito, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Salvable (2025)
★ 6.2/10
When a battered boxer past his prime finds his dreams and his relationships on the ropes, he falls back in with a dangerous crowd and has to take the biggest swing of his life to reclaim his hope and his family.
2
Tyson (2008)
★ 6.8/10
Director James Toback takes an unflinching, uncompromising look at the life of Mike Tyson--almost solely from the perspective of the man himself. TYSON alternates between the controversial boxer addressing the camera…
3
Never Back Down: Revolt (2021)
★ 6.3/10
An amateur fighter is lured by a trafficking syndicate specializing in elite underground fighting where her brutal captor forces her to fight or face certain death.
4
Conor McGregor: Notorious (2017)
★ 6.9/10
Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Filmed over the course of 4 years, Notorious is the exclusive, all-access account of Conor’s meteoric rise from claiming benefits and living in…
5
The Set-Up (1949)
★ 7.4/10
Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter.
6
The Cut (2025)
★ 5.9/10
A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal…
7
Chuck (2017)
★ 6.3/10
A drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner.
8
Fat City (1972)
★ 7.1/10
The story of two men, a veteran boxer who is down and out, and a young man who is just starting his life and boxing career. Their fighting careers cross paths as their lives and fortunes head in opposite directions.
9
Icarus (2017)
★ 7.6/10
While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country's "anti-doping" program. Over dozens of…
10
Beautiful Disaster (2023)
★ 6.6/10
College freshman Abby tries to distance herself from her dark past while resisting her attraction to bad boy Travis.
11
Kid Galahad (1962)
★ 6.2/10
After completing military service, Walter Gulick takes a job as a sparring partner at a gym, the owner of which sees potential in Walter as a professional fighter—and takes him under his wing.
12
Resurrecting the Champ (2007)
★ 6.3/10
Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the…
13
Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child (2023)
★ 5.8/10
Pro boxing sensation — and perennial troublemaker — Jake Paul shares his unlikely journey from online prankster to power puncher in this documentary.
14
Made (2001)
★ 5.8/10
Two aspiring boxers and lifelong friends get involved in a money-laundering scheme through a low-level organized crime group.
15
Gladiator Underground (2025)
★ 7.7/10
Two brothers compete in the world's deadliest underground fighting tournament, where they must decide whether to play by the rules or to cast their honor aside and team up to bring down the dark syndicate running the…
16
Jawbone (2017)
★ 6.1/10
A former youth boxing champion, Jimmy McCabe is a man in search of hope but looking in all the wrong places. When he hits rock bottom he turns to his childhood boxing club and the only family he has left: gym owner…
17
Giant (2026)
★ 6.9/10
Follows Prince Naseem Hamed from his humble beginnings on the tough working-class streets of Sheffield and his discovery by Ingle, himself a steel industry worker turned boxing trainer. Their unlikely partnership…
18
Perfect Addiction (2023)
★ 6.8/10
A female boxing trainer discovers that her champion cage-fighter boyfriend has been cheating on her with her sister and decides to seek revenge by training up his arch-rival to challenge him.
19
Dawg Fight (2015)
★ 6.4/10
In a crime-plagued neighborhood near Miami, brutal, bare-knuckled backyard fights give young men a chance to earn money -- and self-respect.
20
Body and Soul (1947)
★ 6.7/10
Charley Davis, against the wishes of his mother, becomes a boxer. As he becomes more successful the fighter becomes surrounded by shady characters, including an unethical promoter named Roberts, who tempt the man with…