Tough Guys

Tough Guys

2017 en 76 minutes

Rating: 7.5

Plot

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.

Trailer

Cast

Bill Viola

Bill Viola

Himself

Frank Caliguri

Frank Caliguri

Himself

Dann Carr

Dann Carr

Himself

Jacquet Bazemore

Jacquet Bazemore

Himself

Jimmy Cvetic

Jimmy Cvetic

Himself

Similar Movies

Karolyi

Karolyi

en

August 18, 2016

Cutting Deep

Cutting Deep

en

February 7, 2008

Fisticuffs

Fisticuffs

en

August 27, 1938

Manny

Manny

en

December 31, 2014

Wicker Kittens

Wicker Kittens

en

March 8, 2014

The Celts

The Celts

hr

March 1, 2011

Hockey

Hockey

pl

January 7, 1976

Hockey in Heart

Hockey in Heart

cs

December 25, 2003

Gun Runners

Gun Runners

en

October 7, 2016

North Korea; Off-Piste

North Korea; Off-Piste

en

May 13, 2017

Why Do You Skate?

Why Do You Skate?

en

Invalid date

Days of Giants III

Days of Giants III

sr

January 7, 2024