Bleed for This Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Bleed for This Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 23, 2017

Boxing's star has dimmed over the years and given way to the meteoric rise in popularity of Mixed Marital Arts and particularly the UFC, and especially since the time when celebrated and must-see fighters like Mike Tyson and, going back a bit further, Muhammad Ali roamed the ring and decimated opponents. In its place, Boxing films have seen a fairly substantial rise in quantity while maintaining, generally, a very high quality. The sport-on-film was once held down by genre staples and cinema classics like Raging Bull and Rocky, but the 21st century has seen a surge of films come onto the marketplace, headlined by the Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby and the Oscar-nominated Ali, and more recently (and in no particular order) by films like Hands of Stone, Creed, Southpaw, The Fighter, and Cinderella Man. That's a lot of boxing and a lot of great movies. One of the very latest is Writer/Director Ben Younger's (Boiler Room) Bleed for This, a real-life story of success, tragedy, perseverance, belief, hard work, and triumph. It's a tonally basic comeback story movie, but it's done with a fair bit of heart and sincerity. It may not rank with the genre's best, but it's a worthwhile entry nonetheless.

Wounded.

Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) is a 140-pound boxer brimming with confidence going into his latest fight and Roger Mayweather. He loses. He's rushed to the hospital, bruised and dehydrated, and eventually forced to bump up a weight class. His next fight is more successful. He wins a coveted title, but his career is jeopardized and his life is almost lost when he and a friend are involved in a major car crash. Vinny is hospitalized with a broken neck and little chance that he will walk again, let alone fight. He undergoes surgery to stabilize the neck and, with his trainer Kevin Rooney's (Aaron Eckhart) help, begins to clandestinely train his body back into shape in hopes of one day getting another shot at doing what he loves most: boxing.

Miles Teller certainly knows how to take a hit. He withstood a storm of them in Whiplash and is more than prepared for his work in Bleed for This. Teller is well-cast. He looks good in the ring, moving smoothly on his feet, throwing a healthy punch, and capturing the spirit of determination to win and driven by different factors in his various fights. But the movie isn't about boxing. Teller's, and the film's, greatest accomplishment comes when he takes his biggest hit outside the ring, a hit that almost costs him his life and all but takes away his confidence, shatters his outlook on life, and promises to kill his career. But the character digs deep and overcomes the initial shock and fear of the accident. He works hard, perseveres, and eventually overcomes. It's a basic story of taking the blow and getting back up, ground that countless other films have explored in the past. Some of have done it better, yes. Bleed for This isn't a standout, but it's a positive, feel-good film that comfortably maneuvers through the well-beaten path to find that familiar spirit of positivity, the light in the darkness, any cliché that conveys a message of hope and hard work.

The film's drama and themes carry it through. It's otherwise a very straightforward picture that doesn't bring any new technical wizardry to its in-ring action, nor does it surprise with any depth beyond its core. Director Ben Younger, who also penned the screenplay, approaches the movie with something in-between a scalpel and a chainsaw, carefully carving out the key character and narrative details but not showing much finesse as he plows through the story machinations with, often, blunt-force forward momentum. It's well acted beyond Teller's strong work, though most every other character -- his father, his trainer -- feels a bit underdeveloped, critical to the story but more-or-less characters that help to prop up the story but don't earn much exploration beyond their core necessary qualities that they bring to the film.

Bleed for This Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bleed for This features a solid, enjoyable 1080p presentation from Universal. The transfer is fairly sharp and well defined, revealing high quality skin details in close-up. Scars, scratches, pores, hair, and other elements capture the actors' critical physical essence and find many of the character-defining textural details that make them, particularly on Vinny and notably around the "halo" contraption. Close-ups of screws, metal, and other materials are well defined when up-tight, as are other medical bits like surgical scrubs. General clothing and environmental details prove nicely revealing, particularly around the gym where taped and battered ropes, brick walls, and various nicknacks reveal plenty of good, tangible texturing. Colors are balanced and bold, never oversaturated and never underdeveloped, favoring a pleasing neutrality that brings out their best, particularly in the gym and around the professional boxing rings. Black levels hold deep and flesh tones appear accurate. Noise occasionally springs up, but the image is otherwise pleasantly film-like in its texturing. This is a solid all-around presentation from Universal.

Bleed for This Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bleed for This punches onto Blu-ray with a high-end DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 loses soundtrack. Environmental immersion is one of the track's defining attributes. Crowd noise at boxing matches reaches for substantial, and it's nicely immersive into the environment. Less densely packed and raucous environments enjoy a full, surrounding presence as well, including a bustling news conference, the din at a casino, or the buoyant sounds at a birthday party. Music is energetic and well spread along the front. For example, "Emotions in Motion" rocks the stage in chapter five with very impressive instrumental and lyrical quality. Effects like boxing gloves smashing into flesh, the ringside bell, and a honking horn after the car accident all help to give tangible, lifelike definition to several key moments. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized with natural front-center positioning.

Bleed for This Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bleed for This contains three extras: a few deleted scenes and two very brief featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 11:57 total runtime): Dollar Table, Hospital Cafeteria, Ticket Montage, Family Dinner, Diner, Training Vinny, and Out to Dinner.
• Inspired By a Legend (1080p, 2:44): A quick look at the narrative and story's draw, cut with scenes from the film and interview clips with the real Vinny.
• An Authentic World (1080p, 2:52): A brief discussion of the qualities the cast brought to the film, making the boxing sequences, and the film's authentic shooting locations.

Bleed for This Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bleed for This is a movie that will appeal to Boxing fans and outsiders looking for a true-life story of overcoming the odds. Original it is not, but it makes for an overall solid entry into the genre for both its story and craftsmanship. Approach it with modest expectations and it'll surprise. Expect the next classic Boxing film and walk away disappointed. Universal's Blu-ray offers solid video and audio. Supplements are limited to some deleted scenes and brief featurettes. Worth a look.