On March 24, 1975, eighth ranked Chuck Wepner (Zach McGowan) from New Jersey fought Ali (Jerrod Paige) for the title. It would become an inspiration for "Rocky." Burt Young who was in "Rocky" is also in this film. This fight happens at about 30 minutes into the film. The rest of the film is about how Chuck messed up his life after he peaked, unable to capitalize on his fighting or fame anymore.

It was interesting in that I did not know the story. Not exactly a fight film. Just a biopic.

Guide: F-word. Brief sex, brief nudity (Taryn Manning)

1975. Struggling underdog boxer and liquor salesman Chuck Wepner (a strong and convincing portrayal by Zach McGowan) from Bayonne, New Jersey gets the chance of a lifetime after he gets his big break to fight Muhammed Ali (nicely played by Jerrod Paige) in the ring. This match in turn inspires the movie "Rocky."

Director/co-writer Ken Kushner relates the absorbing story at a constant pace, maintains a hard-hitting gritty tone throughout, and offers an interesting exploration of fame, failure, and redemption as Wepner goes from minor celebrity status to crashing and burning when he gets too caught up in an exciting, but toxic and destructive fast lane lifestyle. The fine acting from the capable cast keeps this movie humming: Amy Smart as Wepner's sassy second wife Linda, Joe Pantoliano as tough trainer Al Braverman, Taryn Manning as fed-up long-suffering first wife Phyllis, Nick Leob as loyal and concerned brother Donnie, Jason James Richter as sleazy con man John Olson, Anthony Mango as an amiable Sly Stallone, and Robert Clohessy as shrewd lawyer Anthony Mango. The fight scenes are quite brutal and grueling. Worth a watch.

It didn't help that I watched the two Chuck Wepner films back-to-back to see how they compare. Although Zach McGowan and Jerrod Page barely resemble their respective characters, I will commend their performances, with Page getting the nuances of Ali just right and McGowan giving a performance that is at least different enough from the 2016's Chuck. It was also cool to see Burt Young appear in a film about the man who inspired the Rocky franchise, nice touch there.

Beyond the 1hr mark, it is basically beat-for-beat like the last film. Which begs the question, why does this even exist? I assume, its because they were coincidentally both in production? Regardless, its pretty obvious which one is the better film.

However, there are a few notable differences that were actually BETTER than 'The Bleeder', this film in particular had the balls to include a scene in which Ali wanted Chuck to call him a 'you know what' prior to a press conference to generate buzz, something that the 2016 film completely ignores. In fact, I will say that there is far more interaction between Ali and Wepner in this version than the last. There was also a particularly fantastically-acted argument scene between Chuck and his estranged wife in this film, which I cannot say was in the original.

I will say that the film is basically at its best when its covering events NOT in the 2016 film. His weird antics with the forger John Olsen and the events of suing Sylvester Stallone, though I must admit it takes a very weird turn when it basically portray Sly as a villain by the end of the film, and it just kind of ends abruptly with the lawsuit.

Unfortunately however, its ultimately an inferior version of the film released only a few years before it. With worse pacing, fight choreography, structure, acting and editing. If you're somehow split between watching this or the 2016 film, choose the latter. However, if you simply want another rendition of the Chuck Wepner story told, give this film a watch.