“Bleed for This” follows boxer Vinny Paz’s tough journey back into the ring following a devastating accident that left him with a fractured neck but an unbroken desire to defy the odds.
“It’s a story that transcends the boxing world,” director Ben Younger told CNN recently via e-mail. “It’s a movie about perseverance.”
Younger believes the story can have an impact on people — largely because he speaks from experience.
Prior to doing the film, Younger had gone almost a decade without a directing gig and was preparing to give up making movies. Then he met Paz.
“He got me fighting again,” he said. “The man is a force of nature and that will, that desire is something we all need right now in this country.”
Miles Teller plays Paz in the film.
In the clip below, which you’re seeing first on CNN, Paz prepares for his return to the ring, with his trainer (Aaron Eckhart) by his side.
“This is the moment that all of the work he put in, finally leads to,” Younger said of the scene. “All of that effort may amount to nothing. His trainer reminding him where they started, how far they’ve come; reminding him that he is a fighter above all else – in the ring and outside of it.”
The clip uses a montage to contextualize the moment, with flashback’s to Vinny’s long, tough journey back to health.
Younger made the movie in just 24 days with a little over $6 million. It was a tall order, but he said he’s thankful for Teller, who he was relieved jumped into the demanding role “with both feet.”
“He knew he was representing a champion, and a living one at that,” Younger said. “The comparisons, the [judgment], they would all be very real and very unforgiving. He made it so that no one could say a single word.”
“Bleed for This” opens November 18.