On Bleed for This

Boxing is such a visceral sport that it takes quite a failure in writing and direction to ruin a boxing film. Bleed for This does not fall into this trap and despite being less than average in its depiction of the sport, makes up for this with a relatively unknown yet interesting boxer and great performances. Just as we would want, Bleed for This offers up a likeable fighter, with demons (here gambling and stubbornness) who, after seeming to hit rock bottom, comes back in a fashion that we cannot help but cheer for. The difference here is that the rock bottom is where the film feels most confident. The car crash, the surgery, the rehabilitation are all executed very well, using sound and variations in film quality to either makes us squirm with the perceived pain or find charm in the defiance of medical orders. This is a comeback story where the sport is almost irrelevant but is solid all round.