the direction by 'Boiler Room' veteran Ben Younger is solid, and the story is undeniably compelling. But it just never quite scrapes the heights of bigger, better boxing movies, from 'Raging Bull' to 'Creed'
Teller can't make much of a character out of nothing but raw conviction and a spectacularly crappy mustache. That his bolted medical headpiece looks a little like a crown of thorns turns out to be rather apropos
"Bleed for This" doesn't pack the strongest emotional punch, mostly because Younger's script never shows us much about these characters beyond our first impressions
by Stephen Whitty [Newark Star-Ledger ]
