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***
Dir: Ben Younger (15, 118 mins)
Another boxing film uppercuts into the cinemas and despite having many of the same well-worn tropes of every sports movie, triumph of the underdog overcoming unbelievable obstacles, this is based on a true story. Miles Teller convinces as Vinny Pazienza, the Pazmanian Devil, a talented, arrogant boxer who becomes middleweight champion. Soon after he’s involved in a car accident, leaving him in a hospital bed wearing a halo contraption that covers his top half, fastened by some painfully inserted screws. He’s never going to box again. Refusing to accept defeat and humbled, Pazienza is determined to get back in the ring and defend his title. His Rhode Island family support him with OTT hair and bellowing, Ciaran Hinds dad in particular, and along with the help of Aaron Eckhart’s bit bald and podgy trainer, he puts the gloves back on. Formulaic perhaps, but anchored by Teller this still scores some emotional punches.
Opens Dec 2