Set for release on November 18, Bleed for This is already being hyped in ads nationwide in hopes of generating Oscar buzz. So here is a preview for you as you make your Thanksgiving movie plans. You might have to search it out at your local art-house theater.
Bleed for This (Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Ciaran Hinds) – Oscar buzz surrounds this gritty true-life story about boxer Vinny Pazienza, the Pazmanian Devil, a world champion who made an amazing comeback from a devastating car accident.
Miles Teller, best known for his star turn in the amazing Whiplash, plays Vinny with a sense of determination reminiscent of Robert De Niro’s Jake La Motta from Raging Bull, which is high praise indeed. Aaron Eckhart, most recently seen in Sully, plays Vinny’s trainer, Kevin Rooney, in perhaps his most multi-dimensional role. Both performances could earn Oscar nods.
Vinny is a high-flying, cocky lightweight boxer trying to make weight in his upcoming championship fight against Roger Mayweather. He loses, can’t find another fight, and ultimately ends up with Rooney, an on-the-way-down trainer. Encouraged by his gregarious father, Angelo (Ciaran Hinds), Vinny lives boxing. His climb back to the top is permanently interrupted … or so it seems … by a terrible car accident that leaves him near paralyzed. The film is about his improbable, perhaps ill-advised, attempt to make it back. With Rooney’s reluctant help, Vinny claws his way back into the ring while his tight-knit, quintessentially Italian family looks on with a combination of pride and fear. The movie culminates with Vinny’s bout with the legendary Roberto Duran.
The plot of Bleed for This isn’t novel, but it is mostly true, which make it powerful. If you aren’t a boxing fan, you might be reluctant to see another boxing movie. But this one is worth it. It is a well-acted, low-budget, art-house film with award aspirations that captivates its audience with fine performances at every level.