Bleed for This

Teller is appreciably committed to the character, but he's only given one note to play, his full-bodied passion wasted on a movie that would rather win on points than go for the knockout.

Younger jacks up the action in the last third, but the air goes out of a fight movie when you can see the next jab coming.

Bleed for This is still worth seeing, despite its familiar trappings.

Bleed For This is twelve rounds of tedium, a boring boxing movie that draws most of its strength from memories of other, better experiences.

A solid, but unremarkable drama.

No flatfoot, no knockout, writer-director Ben Younger's "Bleed for This" wins on points.

Because of Teller's compelling performance and chemistrywith Eckhart, it's hard not to be roused by the film's triumphant finale, but it never transcends the clichés of its genre. It's an often gripping film, but never very insightful.

Bleed for This is a surprisingly strong result.

Succeeds in getting across its predictable 'never-say-die' lesson. It's a shame Younger settles for a made-for-TV-movie sentiment instead of digging deeper to dins a subtext that would really knock the audience out.

Younger's films goes bebind the scenes as much as it goes in front of it. This is crucial to getting Pazienza's story right.