Chuck

Liev Schreiber is outstanding as the hulking, rough-edged, amiable and charismatic Wepner.

It may not go the distance, but it’s surely worth a step into the ring.

Chuck ultimately works, mainly because Schreiber is so watchable. There's something compelling about seeing a man who is so strong and so weak, simultaneously. You like him in spite of him.

Schreiber moves with bearish stolidity, even when boxing, and nothing is more poignantly delayed than Chuck’s realization that most of his wounds were self-inflicted.

Chuck doesn’t contribute anything new to the boxing drama that filmgoers haven’t already seen a hundred times before, but with a strong lead performance from Liev Schreiber and a dependable supporting cast, Chuck manages to bring the story of its protagonist to life with heart and respect.

As with everything in which he appears, Schreiber is one of the best things about the movie.

The Bleeder is a surface-value, party-first boxing dramedy that pulls its punches and goes too far into "charismatic sleazeball" territories.

Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber) became famous as a heavy weight boxer who went 12 rounds with Muhammad Ali and became the inspiration for "Rocky." Other than these unique aspects of his history, this is a straightforward biopic about a typically-flawed character. Schreiber effectively inhabits the flawed fighter (which still doesn't make him likable), but it's Elizabeth Moss (as his wife) who creates the most compelling character. Ultimately, this is a by-the-numbers story told with brutish magnetism and fun period touches.