Popular reviews

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  Review by Lebowskidoo 🇨🇦 🎬 🍿 ★★★★ 1

  The true story of Chuck Wepner, who lasted fifteen rounds with Muhammad Ali in the ring, only for it to ruin his life for many years afterwards. It's the inspiration for Rocky, it's too similar not to be, even though Stallone denies it.

  Liev Schreiber is just great as Chuck, he forces you to care about this man obsessed with his own brief fame. This whole movie kinda lured me in, I didn't really care whether I watched it or not, but the story and performances were too good to ignore.

  Plus, you get to see Jim Gaffigan do a bump or two and frolic with topless women! So 70's!

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  Review by Andy Summers 🤠 ★★★½

  Liev Schreiber has always been one of those actors that impresses in minor roles behind bigger stars. His headlining performances as Ray Donovan however gave Schreiber more of a showcase for his undoubted talent as an actor, and in this biographical sports film based on the Bayonne Bleeder Chuck Wepner, the man who inspired Stallone to write Rocky, he more than rises to the occasion.
  I must admit that even as a boxing fan, I'd never heard of Chuck Wepner. This authentic looking film that has Schreiber narrating parts of the story is reminiscent of the likes of Casino or Goodfellas in tone, and in Schreiber's Wepner we have a journeyman boxer who's given the chance of a lifetime to…

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  Review by Jake Alda Coffey ★★★½

  Chuck is a good boxing movie that could be a great boxing movie if it had a strong narrative focus. The script is its biggest weakness, as it’s too unfocused on various aspects of the subject’s life. Liev Schreiber delivers the best performance of his career though! And also that guy who played Sylvester Stallone did a very impressive job as well. Great performances and it has good production value on a noticeably small budget. 

  2016 RANKED

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  Review by Andy Fell ★★★½ 2

  Chuck ist die verfilmte wahre Geschichte des US-Schwergewichtsboxers Chuck Wepner.

  Chuck Wepner gespielt von Liev Schreiber ist ein nur durchschnittlicher Boxer 🥊, hart im Nehmen, aber für Cuts enorm anfällig und somit in den meisten Kämpfen der Verlierer. Die große Chance scheint zu kommen, als George Foreman seinen Titel ausgerechnet gegen ihn verteidigen will. Doch erst nach dem Rumble-in-the Jungle-Kampf gegen Muhammad Ali. Doch Ali gewinnt. Völlig unerwartet will Ali nun auch gegen ihn kämpfen.

  Total unterlegen gelingt es ihm zwar Ali auf die Bretter zu schicken, wird aber 15 Runden böse verprügelt, steht aber immer wieder auf bis schließlich 15 Sekunden vor Kampfende die Lichter ganz aus gehen.

  Der Kampf dient Sylvester Stallone letztendlich als Inspiration für seinen Erfolgsfilm…

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  Review by Kevin Jones ★★★

  2017 Ranked

  The story of the man behind Rocky, Chuck focuses in on Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber). Known as the Bayonne Bleeder, Wepner made a name for himself in the 1970s as the man who nearly went the full 15 rounds against the heavyweight champion of the world, Muhammad Ali. With both eyes swollen shut, blood gushing from his forehead, and his mind and feet on different wavelengths, Wepner’s valiant display of rugged determination to make it to the end of the match quickly turned the crowd in his favor. Everybody knew Ali would finish him off, but Wepner’s absolute refusal to go down spoke to a nation looking for an underdog hero. He was a fighter who would get…

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  Review by Nate Richard ★★★½

  While it's formulaic and it's small budget really shows at times, Chuck is still an extremely entertaining boxing film with a rock solid leading performance from Liev Schreiber. I recommend giving it a shot.

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  Review by Ivica_Pusticki ★★★★

  So, who wouldn't want Sly to make a movie based on his life!? Especially if that movie is ROCKY! I know I would even if I don't get a penny from it!! That if my life was/is any interesting, and if I was a boxer who fought Muhammad Ali for 15 rounds! But you know, Im not that lucky...but Chuck Wepner was! Or was he!?

  To be honest, I can't say that I ever heard of Chuck Wepner before this movie. I like boxing, but I just don't know the history of boxing, and for some reason I wasn't really familiar with the fact that the ROCKY was based on Wepner's story, although I am familiar with ROCKY trivia. But…

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  Review by Mark Cunliffe 🇵🇸 ★★½

  You could argue that Chuck Wepner, the New Jersey club fighter who miraculously went 15 rounds with heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, has already had his movie. And he arguably has, as that movie was Rocky; Stallone was working on a spec screenplay about a fighter when he watched Wepner's 1975 bought with Ali. But here, director Philippe Falardeau delivers a genuine biopic of Wepner's life, including his subsequent various meetings with Stallone and his tragicomic attempts to 'be a somebody' in the wake of Oscar winning success.

  Chuck is known in the UK as The Bleeder (a reference to Wepner's astonishing ability to take punishment without going down) and it's a movie that is structured and pitched very much like…

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  Review by Raul Marques ★★★

  Fine, but suffers from a severe case of the 'biopic syndrome', where the filmmakers think that because their theoretically telling a true story, the movie has to necessarily portray its subject's life chronologically, even if the middle part is so obviously the narrative climax. Schreiber is expectedly great, and is always a delight to see Moss get back to Peggy Olson's shoes, the guys that play Ali and Stallone have a tougher time, specially because the director keeps going for close-ups. As usual for pictures' set in the 70's, the cinematography, production design and soundtrack are excellent.

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  Review by maneleeo ★★★

  Liev Schreiber simply kicks ass as Chuck Wepner, he really gives everything on this role, he's not just the Bleeder, he is the guy that will knock you with his fist if he doesn't do it with his tongue first. A story of going to the top of the world (whatever you consider the world, for example if it's your community) and then falling abruptly.

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  Review by SnowboardJunkie ★★★ 2

  You had me at Liev Schreiber plays the original Rocky. The lumbering, loveable punching bag known as the Bayonne Bleeder, Chuck Wepner. The people’s champion of New Jersey who went 15 rounds with Muhammad Ali, quickly proceeded by 15 minutes of fame. But who say’s fame can be good for a man. All the attention lavished on such a big kid at heart only further exonerated him from responsible living. But this is a role Liev was born to play about as much as Ray Donovan and he delivers the goods. If you have an affection for boxing movies, no matter how many get pumped out annually, this is worth a look. One of those stories you find interesting but it doesn’t leave you as a better person afterwards or help you see the world in a new light. Just glutinous entertainment plain and simple.

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  Review by MoviePsycho06 ★★★

  Liev Schreiber gives a very solid performance as Chuck Wepner; the real life boxer who inspired the character of Rocky Balboa!

  For the most part, it’s a standard sports drama biopic, but watching the story that gave us the first Rocky movie was kinda special!
  A decent supporting cast as well, but it’s nothing super incredible.

  While I would take Rocky over this film any day, it is interesting to think that without this story, the Rocky franchise probably wouldn’t exist?!

  Final Score: 6/10