Bleed for This
"This is what the greatest comeback in sports history looks like"
Vinny Pazienza is a world champion boxer whose career seems to peak just as disaster strikes. A brutal car crash leaves him fighting for his life and facing questions about whether he will ever walk again, let alone fight. Bleed for This follows his stubborn refusal to surrender to fate, the long... Read more
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About Bleed for This
Vinny Pazienza is a world champion boxer whose career seems to peak just as disaster strikes. A brutal car crash leaves him fighting for his life and facing questions about whether he will ever walk again, let alone fight. Bleed for This follows his stubborn refusal to surrender to fate, the long and painful road to recovery, and the fierce loyalty of his family and team. Vinny weighs medical advice, tweaks his training, and confronts setbacks with a fierce inner resolve, buoyed by his mother Louise and his coach and promoter. The movie tracks a remarkable plan to return to the ring while never downplaying the real dangers. It shows how grit, faith, and support can redefine what seems impossible.
Directed by Ben Younger, Bleed for This draws on Vinny Pazienza's real life with help from interviews to shape its arc. Miles Teller embodies Pazienza, supported by Katey Sagal, Aaron Eckhart, and Ciarán Hinds in key roles.
Box Office: The film grossed about 6.17 million worldwide on a 6 million budget, a modest result that nonetheless gave backers a reasonable return and found most of its audience in limited release and home viewing.
Cultural Impact: Teller delivers a muscular performance that draws attention to Vinny Pazienza's stubborn comeback and the resilience of his family. The training montages and real life clips resonated with sports fans and sparked discussions about perseverance, medical risk, and where grit meets responsibility.
Reception & Themes: Critics broadly acknowledged its earnest tone and focus on family, discipline, and the cost of chasing a dream. The story foregrounds medical uncertainty while celebrating faith in a hard won return, balancing raw physicality with emotional stakes and leaving viewers with a sense of redemption rather than spectacle. It also examines the toll of training and the role of a solid support system.
Details
- Release Date
- November 04, 2016
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- Rating
- R
- User Ratings
- 817 votes
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Drama
- Country
- United States
- Studio
- Sikelia Productions +3 more
- Budget
- $6,000,000
- Box Office
- $6,174,491
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Official Trailer
Cast
Miles Teller
Vinny Pazienza
Aaron Eckhart
Kevin Rooney
Katey Sagal
Louise Pazienza
Ciarán Hinds
Angelo Pazienza
Ted Levine
Lou Duva
Christine Evangelista
Ashley
Amanda Clayton
Doreen Pazienza
Daniel Sauli
Jon
Tina Casciani
Heather
Gary Galone
Caesar's Pit Boss
Director: Ben Younger
Written by: Pippa Bianco, Angelo Pizzo