The Champ

The Champ (1979) is an American drama directed by Franco Zeffirelli — watch online on iFILM. John Voight plays Billy Flynn, a former boxing champion who has fallen a long way: drinking, drifting around the racetrack, keeping himself together mainly because his young son T.J. needs him to.

When Billy's ex-wife Annie returns — played by Faye Dunaway, financially comfortable and not villainous about it — she wants the boy. Billy's answer is to get back into the ring. Eight-year-old Rick Schroder, in his film debut, carries scenes that most adult actors wouldn't attempt. The custody battle underneath the boxing film is what gives the story its weight.

Zeffirelli calibrates the sentiment carefully enough that the ending doesn't feel manipulated — it just lands. The final scene has been studied in film courses for decades as an example of what pure performance can do without a word of dialogue. Stream The Champ (1979) online on iFILM.