Back in the late 1980s and early 90s, Vinny Pazienza was one of the best boxers in the world. The street-wise kid from Rhode Island became the lightweight and then junior middleweight champion. Then, at the height of his career, he was involved in a brutal car accident that left him with a broken neck and a fear that he may never walk again. In just 13 months, Pazienza (“The Pazmanian Devil”) was back in the ring and competing for yet another title. His remarkable story is portrayed in the convincing new film, Bleed For This, with the youthful Miles Teller as the hard-as-nails fighter.
Teller actually looks more comfortable in the ring than Mark Wahlberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael B. Jordan—all actors with more obvious athleticism—in each of their recent boxing films. Teller has the strut and the mouth, and he moves well on the canvas. Who would’ve thought that the star of a few moderately successful teen films and a movie about an elite conservatory musician would be a worthy tough guy? Teller’s partner in the ring, Aaron Eckhart (as trainer Kevin Rooney) is superb, as he disappears into the role in his first scene. As the world-weary drunk who bucks convention and suggests Pazienza move up to a more natural weight class, Eckhart proves his mettle as a corner man and shows us some acting chops that have been missing from his other roles.
And that is where the strength of the film lies: its actors. Because much of the film has Pazienza in a spine stabilizing halo, the action and intensity standard in so many boxing films is subdued, and characters are allowed to develop. The pace is a bit slow after the accident, but it’s well done. Director Ben Younger takes on the required boxing clichés as well as he can, but the film departs from those comforting tropes in a few important ways. I’m not saying they are quality choices, but they are choices nonetheless. The ubiquitous training montage receives quieter treatment as Pazienza delicately and secretly lifts weights in his basement. There is no real love interest to spur the fighter forward; Pazienza is his own motivator. The film’s ending is almost anti-climactic, as there is minimal musical presence, and an awkward denouement, though valuable in its message, removes much of the excitement we had been hoping to release. With many cutaway reaction shots during the fight scenes, we often lose the emotional impact of being in the ring, of taking those punches with our protagonist. Younger, who directed the excellently edgy Boiler Room back in 2000, may have missed some opportunities to tease out our suspense and enthusiasm, and one can only wonder how a different director may have tackled this biopic.
The theme of the film is clear and powerful. Pazienza tells Rooney, who pleads with him to rest and heal and think about a life other than boxing, “The thing that scares me about quitting? It’s so easy.” He’s right. Anyone can quit. It doesn’t take talent, or toughness, or intelligence, or ambition to quit. And Pazienza’s reason for living, rightly or wrongly, is fighting. There is nothing that will stop him, not even a frightening and tragic car crash. We may think he’s crazy, but he sure does prove a point.
Bleed For This is ultimately a better story than it is a movie. But like Pazienza himself, though it may not be the greatest ever, it’s certainly respectable.
Grade: B
Teller actually looks more comfortable in the ring than Mark Wahlberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael B. Jordan—all actors with more obvious athleticism—in each of their recent boxing films. Teller has the strut and the mouth, and he moves well on the canvas. Who would’ve thought that the star of a few moderately successful teen films and a movie about an elite conservatory musician would be a worthy tough guy? Teller’s partner in the ring, Aaron Eckhart (as trainer Kevin Rooney) is superb, as he disappears into the role in his first scene. As the world-weary drunk who bucks convention and suggests Pazienza move up to a more natural weight class, Eckhart proves his mettle as a corner man and shows us some acting chops that have been missing from his other roles.
And that is where the strength of the film lies: its actors. Because much of the film has Pazienza in a spine stabilizing halo, the action and intensity standard in so many boxing films is subdued, and characters are allowed to develop. The pace is a bit slow after the accident, but it’s well done. Director Ben Younger takes on the required boxing clichés as well as he can, but the film departs from those comforting tropes in a few important ways. I’m not saying they are quality choices, but they are choices nonetheless. The ubiquitous training montage receives quieter treatment as Pazienza delicately and secretly lifts weights in his basement. There is no real love interest to spur the fighter forward; Pazienza is his own motivator. The film’s ending is almost anti-climactic, as there is minimal musical presence, and an awkward denouement, though valuable in its message, removes much of the excitement we had been hoping to release. With many cutaway reaction shots during the fight scenes, we often lose the emotional impact of being in the ring, of taking those punches with our protagonist. Younger, who directed the excellently edgy Boiler Room back in 2000, may have missed some opportunities to tease out our suspense and enthusiasm, and one can only wonder how a different director may have tackled this biopic.
The theme of the film is clear and powerful. Pazienza tells Rooney, who pleads with him to rest and heal and think about a life other than boxing, “The thing that scares me about quitting? It’s so easy.” He’s right. Anyone can quit. It doesn’t take talent, or toughness, or intelligence, or ambition to quit. And Pazienza’s reason for living, rightly or wrongly, is fighting. There is nothing that will stop him, not even a frightening and tragic car crash. We may think he’s crazy, but he sure does prove a point.
Bleed For This is ultimately a better story than it is a movie. But like Pazienza himself, though it may not be the greatest ever, it’s certainly respectable.
Grade: B