Why It Ranks
Bleed for This features one of the most improbable true comeback stories in sports history. Teller's physical transformation is committed. Eckhart's trainer is wonderfully disheveled. The halo brace training scenes are genuinely harrowing.
The Film
Bleed for This tells the true story of Vinny Pazienza, the world champion boxer who broke his neck in a car crash and returned to fight with a halo brace screwed into his skull. Miles Teller brings manic energy to Pazienza, and Aaron Eckhart is excellent as the troubled trainer Kevin Rooney. The comeback story is genuinely miraculous — doctors said Pazienza would never walk normally again, let alone box.
Fun Facts
Miles Teller gained 20 pounds of muscle and trained with real boxers for the role.
The real Vinny Pazienza was on set daily as a consultant.
Aaron Eckhart wore a fat suit and bald cap to play Kevin Rooney.
Paz returned to boxing just 13 months after breaking his neck — an achievement doctors called medically impossible.
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