Tim Blake Nelson is more than just a beloved character actor, having directed six feature films with another one on the way, but most people will know him more for his roles in films by the Coen Brothers (O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Ballad of Buster Skruggs), Guillermo del Toro (Nightmare Alley, Pinocchio), and so many others. In fact, Nelson even returned as Sam Sterns aka The Leader in the recent Marvel Studios movie, Captain America: Brave New World, quite unexpected since the character previously appeared in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
Nelson plays a very different and more physical role in Vincent Grashaw’s Bang Bang, playing ornery, washed-up featherweight boxer, Bernard “Bang Bang” Rozyski, living in the outskirts of Detroit, hoping to someday retrieve his glory in the ring. Bernie’s chance comes when his daughter (Nina Arianda) drops by with his grandson, Justin (Andrew Liner), and he sees an opportunity to train the young man to enter the ring in his place.
Bang Bang is a touching but also quite funny boxing movie, driven by Nelson’s performance, and Cinema Daily US had a chance to talk to the actor about the role and making the movie, which you can watch in the video player above.
Bang Bang premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024, but it’s now coming to theaters, beginning with New York’s IFC Center this coming weekend.
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Director: Vincent Grashaw
Screenwriter: Will Janowitz
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, Glenn Plummer, Andrew Liner, Kevin Corrigan, Nina Arianda, Eric Gimpel, Daniella Pineda, Will Janowitz
Producer: Angelia Adzic, Vincent Grashaw, Will Janowitz, Ran Namerode, Cole Payne
Production Co: Randomix Productions, Traverse Media, Bad Grey, CinemaWerks, MooseBoy
Distributor: Sunset FIlms
Rating: Unrated
Genre: Drama, Sports
Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): September 12, 2025 (limited)
Runtime: 1 hour, 43 Minutes
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You can watch the trailer for Bang Bang below: