Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) is a professional boxer who's at the height of his game. As he trains with Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart) for his next fight, he suffers a horrific accident which threatens his life and effectively ends his career. However, through sheer force of will and determination, Pazienza fights his way out of injury and back into boxing.
Boxing films effectively follow two lines in terms of narrative - they're either redemption stories or they show the brutality of the sport and how it debilitates its fighters in the long run. With Bleed For This, it's something with a little bit of both, but still makes for an effective sports film that has enough going on in terms of casting to keep audiences engaged and interested. The film's opening act establishes all the characters in an effective way, introducing us to Miles Teller, Ciaran Hinds, Katey Sagal and a resurgent Aaron Eckhart through snappy dialogue and subtle scenes with a surprising amount of depth.
Teller plays Paz as a blue-collar, unfettered boxer who attacks what's in front of him head on and knows what his body is capable of. We see him gambling through the night, even though people around him - casino dealers, even - tell him that he should probably get some sleep. Still, he plays on because this is a character who knows himself and knows what he's capable of. So often in boxing films, we see fighters who have no sense of self or are trying to regain their essence. Instead, Teller's character is certian of who he is and what he has to do. This is further established through his interactions with his father, Hinds, and his trainer, Eckahrt. Both of them acknowledge that Teller's Paz is a forceful, determined character - but that he must know his limits, such as they are. By the start of the second act when the accident happens, we know that it's shifting gears and going into a more straightforward redemption story. The twist with Bleed For This is that Teller's character knows what he has to do. There's no real moment of realisation or epiphany in it; he just sees it as an obstacle to be overcome - with or without people's help.
As mentioned, Teller plays Pazienza with a huge amount of conviction and cleverly eschews dramatic moments for a grounded approach. We'd believe that this character would do anything to get back on top and it makes for a fascinating watch to see him grind his way through training in a halo neckbrace that could paralyse him at any moment. We're made clear that Teller's character is one who will literally gamble with his life in order to win. As you'd expect, his father played by Ciaran Hinds, who helped nurture his son's career in the beginning now realises that he can't allow it to continue. Eckhart's trainer is the one who sees his determination and acts upon it and the bond that develops between them is a heartening one, serving as the emotional core of the film.
While it's not stylish or slick, Ben Younger's direction is nonetheless effective and has a naturalism to it than other boxing films have long since abandoned in favour of splashy visuals and crisp camerawork. Here, it feels raw and unhindered and that plays into the grim determination of the main character. Why would they need a five-minute tracking shot when the same thing can be conveyed in a more direct and honest way? Likewise, Younger's screenplay is sharp, direct and to the point. Few of the characters need to talk around themselves when there's a direct approach to a scene.
While it may have a few problems with cliche that are more a wider problem in the genre, Bleed For This is nevertheless an effective boxing film that features strong performances from Aaron Eckhart and Miles Teller.