The Bleeder Information

The Bleeder is a 2016 American biographical sports drama film directed by Philippe Falardeau and written by Jeff Feuerzeig and Jerry Stahl. The film stars Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Elisabeth Moss, Jim Gaffigan, Michael Rapaport, Pooch Hall, Morgan Spector, Ron Perlman and Kelvin Hale. The film revolves around the life of the heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner (played by Schreiber) and his 1975 fight with the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali (played by Hall). Principal photography began on October 26, 2015 in Suffern, New York.

The Bleeder premiered at the 2016 Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2016.

Plot

In 1975, heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber) challenges the heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali (Pooch Hall), for the world's Heavyweight title.

Cast

• Liev Schreiber as Chuck Wepner, a heavyweight boxer.
• Naomi Watts as Linda, Wepner's third wife.
• Elisabeth Moss as Phyllis, Wepner's second wife.
• Jim Gaffigan as John Stoehr, Wepner's best friend.
• Michael Rapaport as Wepner's estranged brother.
• Pooch Hall as Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight champion whose 1975 fight earned a sudden fame for Wepner.
• Morgan Spector as Sylvester Stallone, the actor-screenwriter who wrote Rocky right after the 1975 fight.
• Ron Perlman as Al Braverman, Wepner's manager and trainer who guided him to the fight with Ali.
• Kelvin Hale as Charlie Polite, Wepner's training partner for the Ali fight.

Production

On May 10, 2011, it was announced that Jeff Feuerzeig would direct the boxing drama The Bleeder based on the script he co-wrote with Jerry Stahl, about a true story of the heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner. Michael Tollin and Carl Hampe were attached as producers, while Linda Zander's Maxar Pictures was attached to finance the film. Christina Hendricks was previously cast in the film to play one of the lead roles. In October 2015, Liev Schreiber was confirmed to play Wepner, who always wanted to portray the role, and had been attached with the project for the last five years, and Naomi Watts was cast to play his third wife Linda Wepner. Schreiber would also produce the film along with Tollin, Hampe, Christa Campbell, and Lati Grobman, with banners Mandalay Sports Media and Campbell-Grobman Films. On October 22, 2015, Elisabeth Moss was cast in the film to play his second wife, Phyllis Wepner, who was with him when Wepner fought Muhammad Ali. On October 30, 2015, more cast was announced; Jim Gaffigan was added to the cast to play John Stoehr, the loyal friend of Wepner; Michael Rapaport to play Wepner's estranged brother; Pooch Hall to play boxer Ali, whose 1975 fight with Wepner led to a sudden fame of Wepner; while Morgan Spector would play actor-screenwriter Sylvester Stallone, who wrote Rocky right after the 1975 fight. Wepner claimed that the film's character Rocky Balboa was inspired by him but Stallone has never confirmed it. On November 11, 2015, Ron Perlman signed on to play Al Braverman, the manager and trainer of Wepner, who guided him to the title fight with Ali. On November 11, 2015, Remstar Films acquired the Canadian distribution rights to the film.

Principal photography on the film began on October 26, 2015 in Suffern, New York, where some shots were shot at the Lafayette Theatre. Filming ended on December 4, 2015.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2016. It went onto screen at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2016. In September 2016, IFC Films and Showtime Networks acquired U.S distribution rights to the film.

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83%, based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. On Metacritic the film has a score of 71 out of 100 score, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".