CinemaOSMovie · 2017 · 1h 16m · NR

Tough Guys

75%(2)IMDbDocumentary

10 years before the debut of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 1979, Bill Viola and Frank Caliguri dreamed up a contest pitting barroom bigmouths against wrestlers, martial artists, boxers, bouncers and brawlers, billed as no-holds-barred new type of competitive fighting. When the fights succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, they were swept up in a chain of events that ended in the first mixed-martial arts ban in the nation. “Tough Guys” chronicles the inception of Caliguri and Viola’s first bouts and the colorful, crazy cast of fighters who made them a hit as well as the politicians who brought it all crashing down. The film brings to life a moment when the national martial arts craze was building to a crescendo as the economies of Pennsylvania steel towns were plummeting to levels of unemployment never seen, breeding desperate men looking for a chance to prove their worth and make some money in the ring.

Directed byW.B. Zullo, Henry Roosevelt

Play
Status
Released
Runtime
1h 16m
Language
EN
Released
September 15, 2017
Studios
Warrior PoetsFictionlessMinusL Productions

Watch the

Trailers & teasers

1 video
TOUGH GUYS | September 15 on SHOWTIME

TOUGH GUYS | September 15 on SHOWTIME

Featuring

Cast & crew

5 credited
Starring

Bill Viola

Himself

Frank Caliguri

Himself

Dann Carr

Himself

Jacquet Bazemore

Himself

Jimmy Cvetic

Himself

Creative team
Directed by
W.B. Zullo
Henry Roosevelt
Henry Roosevelt

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