A new biopic from Boiler Room director Ben Younger tells the story of what is considered to be one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Bleed for This stars Miles Teller (The Divergent Series, The Spectacular Now) as Vinny Paz, a flamboyant Rhode Island-born boxer who was seriously injured in a November 1991 car accident one month after winning the WBA World Light Middleweight title in Providence. Paz broke his neck in the accident and was told he would never fight again. For months, Paz wore a device that was screwed into his skull to protect his head, neck and spinal cord. While recuperating, he began to train against the advice of his doctors for a comeback to the ring.
The film also stars Aaron Eckhart, Katey Segal and Ted Levine, was executive produced by Martin Scorsese and features a score from Julia Holter. It was shot in and around Rhode Island over the course of two years. This included a staging of Paz’ October 1991 title fight against Gilbert Dele at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the same venue where it was held in real life (at the time, the venue was called the Providence Civic Center). Boston Globe correspondent and music critic Maura Johnston wrote about her experience as an extra during the filming at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in December 2014.
The trailer for Bleed for This debuted on the websites for People, Sports Illustrated and Entertainment Weekly on June 29 and can be viewed below:
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