Taglines: This is what the greatest comeback in sports history looks like.
On November 1988, Vinny Pazienza boxes Roger Mayweather for the WBC World Light Welterweight Title. He arrives late to the weigh-in, as he has been riding a stationary bicycle in order to make the weight limit. Vinny’s final weight is 140 pounds even, which qualifies him for the fight.
Instead of resting up for the fight, Vinny spends the night at a casino. The following day, he loses to Mayweather. At one point during the fight, Vinny is hit after the bell. His boxing manager Lou Duva causes a scene by going after Mayweather, but is punched as a result. Following the match, Duva tells the media that Vinny should retire from boxing. This angers Vinny’s father Angelo (who serves as his coach), and he confronts Duva. In the ensuing argument, Vinny announces that he wants another fight, and hires Kevin Rooney as his coach.
Angelo receives confirmation that Vinny has been granted a title fight against Gilbert Dele. Vinny wins the bout via technical knockout, which makes him the WBA World Light Middleweight champion. Some days later, Angelo tells Vinny that he will be fighting Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán. Vinny is pleased, and gets in a car with his friend Jimmy to get some coffee. On the way, they are hit head-on by an oncoming car. Jimmy is hurt, but Vinny suffers a critical neck injury.
As he regains consciousness in the hospital, the doctor informs him that he might never walk again, and will certainly never fight again. He offers to better Vinny’s chances of walking by performing a spinal fusion. While this would guarantee that he can walk again, it would limit movement in his neck. Thus, boxing would be out of the question. Against his doctor’s recommendation, Vinny opts to be fitted with a Halo, a medical device in which a circular metal brace is screwed into the skull in four spots, and propped up with four metal rods. This would allow him to regain movement in his neck, which could allow him to box again. Despite Vinny’s optimism, the notion is rejected by Kevin.
Bleed for This is a 2016 American biographical sports film written and directed by Ben Younger and based on the life of former world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza (officially Vinny Paz since 2001). The film stars Miles Teller as Pazienza, with Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds, and Ted Levine in supporting roles.
The film had its world premiere at the 43rd Annual Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2016, and was released in the United States on November 18, 2016, by Open Road Films. It received generally positive reviews but was a box office disappointment, grossing just $6.7 million against its $6 million budget.
Bleed for This
Directed by: Ben Younger
Starring: Miles Teller, Katey Sagal, Ted Levine, Christine Evangelista, Aaron Eckhart, Ciarán Hinds, Allie Marshall, Gia Skova, Amanda Clayton, Julie Ann Dawson, Tina Casciani
Screenplay by: Ben Younger
Production Design by: Kay Lee
Cinematography by: Larkin Seiple
Film Editing by: Zachary Stuart-Pontier
Costume Design by: Melissa Vargas
Set Decoration by: Kim Leoleis
Music by: Julia Holter
MPAA Rating: R for language, sexuality/nudity and some accident images.
Studio: Open Road Films
Release Date: November 18, 2016
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