Bleed For This Blu-ray Review
Jeremy Werner
March 27th, 2017
The human spirit is a deep pool that Hollywood usually dips its hand into to pull ideas from. Strength and endurance are the general themes that are tapped and both of those are the two crutches that BLEED FOR THIS props itself up on. It’s your stereotypical sports drama about the rise, fall, and comeback of its star athlete. The boxing genre isn’t short of quality films, but it doesn’t have a lot of room for creative expansion. BLEED FOR THIS isn’t ROCKY good, but it’s not PLAY IT TO THE BONE bad.
Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza (Teller) isn’t a role model. He gambles, drinks, smokes, enjoys trips to the strip club, and is ill-tempered and cocky. But let’s be honest, aren’t these the hallmarks of a good portion of popular athletes? However, there’s a goofball charm to Vinny because he acts like such a hometown hero on the big stage. While he loves the limelight, he also realizes the importance of family and friends, and includes them on his rise to stardom.
That path towards boxing infamy is derailed after a car wreck. He suffers a broken neck and is fixed up with a medical halo. While nearly immobile in bed, the doctor tells him he’ll never box again and he’s not even sure if Vinny will ever be able to walk again. Vinny doesn’t accept the diagnosis. But he’s human. There are moments where he does give up on life and seems content with fading into the history books as a blip on the boxing world’s radar. But you probably know where this is going.
BLEED FOR THIS is very cliché, but rarely does it feel formulaic. A lot of that is because of the honest portrayal of its characters. Vinny isn’t the only flawed human being. His trainer, Kevin Rooney (Eckhart), is an alcoholic who is easily swayed to helping Vinny disobey his doctor’s orders and nearly divide the family dynamic in Vinny’s Providence home. Vinny’s off-and-on girlfriend is fleeting, arriving to cheer on her hunky man, but leaving when he’s at his most vulnerable. These moments of authenticity keep BLEED FOR THIS from becoming stale.
After watching one of the features, and doing some Youtube video searching, I came to understand how Teller captured so much of Vinny’s essence. Teller, while being a near spitting image of his real-life character, mirrored Vinny’s mannerisms, accent and fighting style. Everyone else matches their part, bringing zest to the story and providing an uncanny storytelling bridge between fact and fiction.
The movie does drag out Vinny’s comeback a little too long, stretching the patience of the audience. I’m not a boxing fan, nor do I have an amateur understanding of its history, but even I knew what was going to happen and couldn’t wait for the final bell to ring. BLEED FOR THIS is a stellar vehicle, highlighting Teller’s impeccable talents as an actor. For every turd Teller has done (FANTASTIC FOUR and THE DIVERGENT series), he really shines through on his next venture. Here’s to hoping that BLEED FOR THIS is precursor to more dynamic and possibly award winning roles for the young talent.
BLU RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080p HD Widescreen 2:39:1) The cold, late 80’s look of the East coast is captured wonderfully through director Ben Younger’s eyes and his vision comes to life on this blu-ray presentation.
Audio: (English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1) Not only can you feel every hit with Vinny, but you can hear it. The sound mixing is near perfect when you hear the swelling of the crowd as Vinny winds up for a final blow.
Deleted Scenes (11:57): There are seven scenes altogether here. Some are completely deleted scenes while others are merely extended scenes. Nothing here seems essential to the plot or story so it’s good the director eliminated these scenes.
Inspired By a Legend (2:44): This short feature is a by the books look at the real-life Vinny, who has short snippets of him talking about his story. That’s the only interesting aspect of the feature since most of the cast and crew rehash the same theme, that BLEED FOR THIS is inspirational.
An Authentic World (2:52): This feature talks about the authenticity of the boxing scenes and how they wanted to make sure Miles Teller was a perfect match for the role, physically and emotionally.
