Bleed - Più forte del destino

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 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.

Ben Younger has previously only written and directed two feature length movies, 2000's really good „Boiler Room" and 2005's rather meh „Prime". It's nice to see him back with another success!

"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.

This is a biographical movie about the boxer Vinny Pazienza who broke his neck in a car accident and wear a halo brace for 6 months. His comeback to boxing is amazing. The story is a bit straightforward but it flows nicely and acting is all right. Overall, it is a nice watch.

"Bleed for This" is a Biography - Sport movie in which we watch the real-life story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza. While a World Champion Boxer had a near fatal car crash from which it wasn't certain whether he would ever walk again or not. He didn't only walk again but he made one of sport's most incredible comebacks.

I really liked this movie because it was based on a real-life story of a great athlete who made the impossible, possible. The direction which was made by Ben Younger who is also the writer of this movie was simply amazing and he presented very well the difficulties and the obstacles that Vinny Pazienza faced and had to overcome in order not only to walk again but to fight. The interpretations of both Miles Teller who played as Vinny Pazienza and Aaron Eckhart who played as Kevin Rooney were simply exceptional. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Ciarán Hinds' who played as Angelo Pazienza and Katey Sagal who played as Louise Pazienza and they both did a great job. I highly recommend everyone to watch this movie because I am sure that you will love it and after watching it you will remember it for a long time.

Based on a true story, Vinny Pazienza overcomes a terrible car accident to return to the sport he truly loves, Boxing. I was a bit hesitant to see this movie because of all the previous movies about fighters. However the director quickly immerses you into Vinny's world and you are immediately hooked. What I liked most about the movie was how all the characters were so believable. The close family relationship, the mother's ritual when all the relatives are glued to the tube, the family dinners, ornaments etc. Everyone has a lot of soul and individuality. Vinny's determination is all important, but he has the affection and love from friends and family. Most of all he has his coach, portrayed by Aaron Eckhart. A man who is fighting is own demons of being a has been, wanting a winner, but also knowing that a coach must do what is best for those under his charge, regardless of what is best for him or others.

Ben Younger has been rather quiet in recent years with a short directorial filmography, Boiler Room being one of my favourite films, that being released sixteen years ago. Younger writes, screenplays and directs this true story of one of the greatest comebacks in not just boxing history, but in the history of sport itself.

Vinny Pazienza, now legally know as Vinny Paz was the IBF World Lightweight Champion and then later the WBA World Jr. Middleweight Champion but had to relinquish the championship belt due having his neck broken in a near fatal car accident being told by doctors that he may not walk again, let alone fight again.

Miles Teller portrays Paz meticulously, giving yet another powerful performance possibly equal to his Whiplash, being undecided. He portrays the painful struggle back to recovery and beyond with the almost medieval Halo brace Paz had screwed into his skull for three months, yet this did not deter his training much to the protests of the doctors, family and friends.

It's got great performances from Aaron Eckhart, who plays legendary boxing trainer, Kevin Rooney, and Ciarán Hinds who plays his devoted father, going through the motions of glory to guilt, both having to deal with the decisions Paz makes which makes you question what you would do as friend or parent. Support him which could essential kill him? I think Eckhart is going for an Oscar nomination here.

It's well paced and focuses more on Paz himself as oppose to the fights that are very well choreographed and captured. There's impressive editing especially empathising the pain of both surgery, recovery and the blows, actually make some parts of the film uncomfortable to watch.

There's a good, gentle score from Julia Holter that enforces the emotional strong of the story; and is accompanied by a selection of eighties classics with a few tracks from the eccentric Willis Earl Beal giving a moody bluesy mode to the film. Check out the track "Too Dry To Cry."

It's great because, yes, it is a boxing movie, but it's about getting back up, fighting the only real adversary of self doubt, especially when everyone, and I mean everyone from friends and family tell you no. Having the courage and determination to not accept defeat, or is it delusional to believe in yourself, knowing the risks. Either way, it makes a grand basis for an incredible story of the ultimate comeback.

Running Time: 9 The Cast: 9 Performance: 9 Direction: 9 Story: 9 Script: 8 Creativity: 8 Soundtrack: 8 Job Description: 8 The Extra Bonus Points: 0 Would I buy the Bluray?: Yes, going next to Cinderella Man and The Hurricane.

77% 8/10