Bleed for This

Open Road Films (II) | Release Date: November 18, 2016

6.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 53 Ratings

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RalfbergsFeb 14, 2017

Really enjoyed this movie. Don't know the actual story (only read about it afterwards on wiki), so not sure how good it is portrayed, but it definitely is inspiring one. One of the best movies and even though I am still not sure if I like orReally enjoyed this movie. Don't know the actual story (only read about it afterwards on wiki), so not sure how good it is portrayed, but it definitely is inspiring one. One of the best movies and even though I am still not sure if I like or don't like Miles Teller as an actor (he does have some good movies but in some movies he is just a jackass, so maybe that's why), this one was a really great performance. The movie was both interesting, funny and had it's lessons in it. Plus it is based on real life events and it wasn't your typical boxing movie either.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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KaptenVideoJan 10, 2017

Feeling the lack is the first step to greatness. If you’re fine with status quo you may never achieve something bigger. I’m pretty sure I have read something like this somewhere. At least it’s a fitting motto to „Bleed for This“, the sportsFeeling the lack is the first step to greatness. If you’re fine with status quo you may never achieve something bigger. I’m pretty sure I have read something like this somewhere. At least it’s a fitting motto to „Bleed for This“, the sports movie about this real-life young boxing champ who broke his neck and still managed to get back in form and claim another world champion belt. More than that, Wikipedia says that he held it for over the next ten years. The guy’s called Vinny Paz and he’s 54 now, by the way.

So yes, it’s another sports movie aiming „to the infinity and beyond“… but it doesn’t go all Hollywood on our asses and actually manages to be a really good indie watch, having both heart and balls.

„Bleed for This“ came out back in September and circled some festivals before reaching cinemas. The commercial success of the movie, sadly, hasn’t been worthy of its tough-as-nails hero. It pretty much came and disappeared without a splash and hasn’t gotten any award nominations either, big or small. Quite why the producers and distributors didn’t believe in the project enough to support it some, for Globes and Academy Awards campaign, at least, is beyond my comprehension. It’s a true underdog story, also a sports movie – who doesn’t like those, eh? – and also good movie in general. (Probably the post-Trumpian USA needs more unpretentious happy tales like „La La Land“ which has just managed to pick 7 out of 7 Globes.)

OK but what makes „Bleed for This“ so great, then? Isn’t there enough underdog and sports movies, award-winning or otherwise? Well, I am glad you asked. In short, I like everything about it! The indie style, the atmosphere and feeling of the early 1990’s working class USA, the great group of starring actors, the hardhitting boxing, the screenplay…

The result is not perfect – what is, anyway? – and one could nitpick about many things if wanted to. For example, the movie runs near two hours which is not exactly a short amount of time… but one does not get a good sense of Vinny Paz’s development as a champion sportsman, or even exactly how the recovery from the big accident went. Of course, it’s all explained in passing, but it doesn’t satisfy to the fullest.

Maybe it’s just me because I enjoyed visiting Vinny’s world, family and environment so much that I left the cinema wanting more. „Bleed for This“ is one of those rather uncommon sports movies that is not afraid to let characters and story breathe and develop enough to lure us in, to make us want really be there for the characters, not just flashy action.

This kind of intimate connection to the movie mostly happens when its makers have strong personal connection with the whole thing too. Seeing that Ben Younger is the director and the sole writer, we can assume it was a personal project and he makes the most out of everybody on screen.

The big name actors here are Miles Teller as Vinny Paz, Ciarán Hinds as his father (somehow I always confuse the guy with Alfred Molina) and Aaron Eckhart as his boxing trainer. All the others have given good performances too, but these three are really worth every penny the producers had to spend on them. Which was probably not too much because the budget was about 6 million US dollars and shooting lasted for only 24 days.

They play it rough and raw, turning the characters into believable working-class heroes. Mark Wahlberg would have probably loved to be part of this experience. There are no showoff scenes so there’s not much to talk about it, only enjoy it. Feel it, live it, breathe it!

I am especially happy about Aaron Eckhart choosing a worthwhile acting role again for a change. For most of the current decade, he has been doing boring commercial crap which is a world away from the works that made him known in the first place. Here he seems to channel a younger less fat version of James Gandolfini which is enough for me to wish him a Supporting Actor Oscar, or at least a nomination. And last but certainly not the least, „Bleed for This“ cements Miles Teller’s position as one of the most promising young American movie actors of his generation. You almost remember him from big studio projects „Divergent“ + „Insurgent“ and 2015’s „Fantastic Four“ but he has also starred in a row of cool indie-er movies such as „The Spectacular Now“ and „Whiplash“. The former quirky cool guy has transformed himself for the never-surrender-type boxer role but manages to turn what on paper seems like a cartoon character into living breathing human being. He should also get nominated for Oscar.

"Bleed for This" doesn't offer a biggest amount of boxing I have seen in a boxing movie. But I just read from IMDb that Teller was trained by Darrell Foster, who has trained fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and helped Will Smith become Muhammad Ali for 2001's Ali.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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3ebfan511Jun 6, 2018

Reminded me of Rocky - one of the best boxing movies in my opinion, and I was pleasantly surprised. Since there have been so many boxing movies...I honestly get bored with most of them. Most are short on story and the action gets repetitiveReminded me of Rocky - one of the best boxing movies in my opinion, and I was pleasantly surprised. Since there have been so many boxing movies...I honestly get bored with most of them. Most are short on story and the action gets repetitive and boring. This film starts out like a typical boxing film and is fine for a while, but eventually it gets quite interesting and goes in another completely unique direction for a boxing film. (and based on a true story.) If you really like typical boxing films..you might not like what this film does, but...if you are open to story and also like ..some..boxing movies you might enjoy this movie a lot. Right up there in the top 3 of my favorite boxing films of all time.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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LeZeeMay 26, 2017

Born again to reach the sky.

I definitely did not expect it. It's a biographical-sport-drama, that tells an inspiring story of a talented young American boxer who faced the biggest setback in his career after met with a car crash. TheBorn again to reach the sky.

I definitely did not expect it. It's a biographical-sport-drama, that tells an inspiring story of a talented young American boxer who faced the biggest setback in his career after met with a car crash. The remaining parts focused on how he struggles to come back, while recovering from the serious injury.

The biggest advantage was the cast. I particularly liked Miles Teller in the lead role. His recent rise in the Hollywood was phenomenal and this one is his another must watch film. Even the supporting cast and roles were awesome. If you are a boxing/sports film fan, you will love it. But there is sufficient drama in the tale to build an impressive storyline.

Feels like it is under-appreciated, and being a Hollywood film, the recognition was too poor. In the coming days, years, it will reach the largest audience coverage. From this film, the director is the one who gained big. Surely he should make use of its success to his next films. Because I'll be expecting much better and bigger than this. This film is one of the best of the years, so don't miss it.

8/10… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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gust999Nov 19, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Um filme excelente que demonstra a incrível habilidade de atuação do Miles Teler vista primeiramente no filme Whiplash e continua aqui com uma historia surpreendente.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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