Bleed for This

Inspirational boxing movies are always about the persistence and resilience of an underdog, and this one is no exception. In 1987, swaggering Rhode Island fighter Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller)—aka “The Pazmanian Devil”—became World Champion, only to lose a 1988 fight at Caesars Palace. And then a horrific car crash left him with a spinal fracture and a broken neck. Forced to wear a painful medical neck brace that is held in place by screws driven into his skull, Vinny is determined to go back into the ring—against his doctor's orders. Observing that they're “both out to pasture,” Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart)—a deadbeat, alcoholic coach who was fired by Mike Tyson—paves pugnacious Vinny's road to redemption, enabling him to make a comeback. Predictably, this path doesn't sit well with Vinny's raucous, tight-knit Italian Catholic family, including his foul-mouthed sister (Amanda Clayton), devoutly religious mother (Katey Sagal), and domineering father (Ciarán Hinds). Filmed with visual flair by writer-director Ben Younger, Bleed for This boasts gritty realism (although it actually lacks a truly compelling boxing sequence), but it's also overly long, and clogged with sports stereotypes and showboating sentiment. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Inspired by a Legend” (3 min.) and “An Authentic World” (3 min.), deleted scenes (12 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a routine sports drama.] (S. Granger)