Outsider

Original title: The Bleeder

2016
R
1h 38m

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

7.2K

YOUR RATING

The real life inspiration for Rocky Balboa, Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber) was a liquor salesman and father with a modest prizefighting career whose life changed overnight when, in 1975, he was chosen to take on The Greatest in a highly publicized title match.

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Boxing Biography Drama Sport

A drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, who had a once-in-a-lifetime bout with Muhammad Ali that would inspire the film Rocky (1976).A drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, who had a once-in-a-lifetime bout with Muhammad Ali that would inspire the film Rocky (1976).A drama inspired by the life of heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, who had a once-in-a-lifetime bout with Muhammad Ali that would inspire the film Rocky (1976).

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

7.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos3

Photos21

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Christina Hendricks was cast alongside Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber back in 2011 when the project was announced. Hendricks dropped out while the film was stuck in development and eventually Elisabeth Moss replaced her.

Goofs
Chuck Wepner served his prison time in East Jersey State Prison in Rahway, NJ, not Northern State Prison in Newark, NJ, as depicted in the movie. This is where he met Sylvester Stallone while filming "Lock Up" in 1989.

Quotes
Chuck Wepner: What good was backing up gonna do? Look, my thing was this: I couldn't hit him, so I figured I'd wear him down with my face. It was working great for five or six rounds...

Connections
Featured in The Cine-Masochist: CHUCK WEPNER VS ROCKY BALBOA (2021)

User reviews32

Featured review

6/10

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Liev Schreiber gives a great performance as Chuck Wepner. He actually makes Chuck look like a wayward but charming kid. 'The Bayonne Bleeder' so called because he easily got cut, managed to land a title shot with Muhammad Ali in 1975 as Ali wanted to fight a top white contender.

Wepner then found fame of sorts later as Sylvester Stallone supposedly based Rocky on Wepner. A nobody who lands a world title shot.

After the fight with Ali, Chuck's life spirals downwards with drugs, booze and partying. His wife (Elisabeth Moss) unhappy with his womanising finally has enough and leaves him. Chuck hits rock bottom when he is set up for a drug bust.

You get the feeling once the Ali fight is done with, the film is over. After that it really is Chuck acting stupid and immature. A story that applies to hundreds of boxers.

Director Philippe Falardeau gives this film a strong period setting, he also brings out good performances from the actors that includes Ron Perlman and Naomi Watts.