Spoiler-Free Review - The Bleeder

By DJ Momo

               If you ask anyone today if they have seen any of the Rocky movies, they probably will tell you they have. Or, at least, they have seen Creed. But if you ask most people if they knew who “inspired” the movie, most of them won’t know. Well The Bleeder is here for the save as it introduces us to Chuck Wepner, the man behind the famous Rocky.



Let’s, first of all, look at the acting. The movie stars Liev Schreiber as Chuck Wepner, Elizabeth Moss as Phyllis, his wife, Jim Gaffigan as his best friend and Naomi Watts as another friend. The movie’s casting is, without a doubt, perfect. First of all, Elizabeth Moss brings her talent from Mad Men back with her amazing acting. She manages to hit that time-specific and location-specific accent perfectly well and makes you believe she is the character herself. Then you have Naomi Watts who, again, is perfect casting. Naomi is really good at playing the beautiful yet somehow far away woman, the woman you want, but know you can’t get. Her chemistry with Liev is exceptional, but no surprise given their relationship outside the movie. Jim Gaffigan was annoying without a doubt. You find yourself judging his character a lot. And yet, this is perfect to the role. Finally, Liev Schreiber is, as he always is, immersed so much in the role that you forget he is acting. He really brings his all to the roles he plays.
Now, on to the story, I loved it and I hated it. The story, unlike Creed, Rocky or any other boxing movie, is barely about boxing. This is a human story, a story about a person’s struggle in life. And the fact that this actually happened kind of gives it more the depressing effect its supposed to have. But that’s the thing: The movie is depressing. Now, a lot of movies are depressing and they aren’t bad. But given the length of the movie, you kind of expect a little bit of light, just so the audience keeps a little bit of interest in the story. 
Overall, the movie is good, but it is a little bit TOO depressing. You leave the theater hoping for something to be a little different and that maybe a part of the real story is better. I give it a 6.5/10.