Bleed For This Preview

Born in 1962, professional boxer Vinny Pazienza began his career as a fighter with a bout in 1983.  He won his first title in 1987 when he defeated Greg Haugen to become the world lightweight champion.  Haugen would reclaim the title in their first rematch, but Pazienza would ultimately triumph in 1990.  In 1991, after his fight with Gilbert Dele for the junior middleweight championship, Pazienza was in a near fatal car crash that broke his neck and left doctors doubting if Vinny would ever even walk again. With a screwed in halo brace holding his neck in place, Pazienza was confined to a hospital bed for 3 months.  Against doctors' orders and without them aware, Vinny snuck back into the gym to begin regaining his strength, halo brace and all.  It was just over a year after the accident that Pazienza was back in the ring for the next unbelievable stage of his career that finally ended in 2004 after 50 wins in the ring.

Bleed For This stars Miles Teller as boxer Vinny Pazienza and is not exactly what you would call a who's who cast of all-stars.  Teller has been an up-and-coming rising star that many would argue shone brightest in 2014's Ocscar nominated film Whiplash in which he plays a talented jazz drummer.  While Teller himself was not nominated for his role, many recognized his work calling it a breakthrough performance.  Teller stars in Bleed For This with Christine Evangelista, Ciaran Hinds, Katey Sagal and Aaron Eckhart who plays Pazienza's trainer Kevin Rooney.  However, a movie boasting a slew of Hollywood's A-listers doesn't guarantee a blockbuster, just like the lack thereof doesn't mean anything either.

From the preview, we see a charismatic, entertaining, playboy, work-hard, party-hard showboating champion boxer in Vinny Pazienza.  Make no mistake, he is extremely gifted at what he does and trains hard to be that way, but his antics, gambling and extracurricular activities are fully reaped as rewards for his efforts.  And then the accident happens.  While doctors tell him, he may never walk again and his friends and family try to convince him that there's more to life than boxing, Vinny is more determined than ever to get back in the ring and fight again.  Bleed For This is based on the true life of Vinny Pazienza and, like the most recent fact-based films I've reviewed, I've chosen to do no research ahead of time as this is not a documentary, this is a Hollywood film.  And, I'm a sucker for the underdog movies.  Rocky was an underdog in every one of his fights.  Southpaw, Eddie the Eagle, Rudy, Invincible, and John Cusack romantic comedy, I'm always a fan of the underestimated, mocked, counted out, never had a chance underdog rising to the challenge.  So, I'm giving Bleed For This a 4.0 Star prediction.  I'll think it worth the money in the theatres, worth watching again, and has a good chance of finding a home in my personal collection.  Am I right?  We shall see.