Documentary
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.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations
Youth of the World
Reach Your Limits
Germany: A Summer's Fairytale
Průzkumníci
Les yeux dans les Bleus 2
Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty
Fisticuffs
Bad Boys
Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary
Crusty 4: God Bless the Freaks
The Beefy Boys Project Vegas
Fight Church
Collingwood: From The Inside Out
Clarkson: Thriller
Masters of Stone VI - Breakthrough
The Sharp End
This Was the XFL
Untold: Sign Stealer
Turbo
SIMILAR MOVIES
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations
IMDB 6.9 | Apr , 1938
Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.Youth of the World
IMDB 5.5 | Jun , 1936
This Nazi propaganda film covers the 1936 Winter Olympics that were held in Germany.Reach Your Limits
IMDB 8 | Feb , 2015
One of the best Bulgarian mountain runners – Kiril Nikolov, known as Disl, attempted to set a new record – to run through the longest and legendary Bulgarian mountain route – 600 km from the mountain peak of Kom on the west border to cape Emine on the Black Sea coast, in less than 5 days. Through steep mountain paths, pouring rain, and sticky mud, the glorious adventure takes him beyond the barriers of his own consciousness, facing hidden fears, pain and exhaustion. Tо the point where he has to make a tough choice – to quit or to push his will to the ultimate challenge, beyond his own limitations.Germany: A Summer's Fairytale
IMDB 6.8 | Oct , 2006
A documentary of the German national soccer team’s 2006 World Cup experience that changed the face of modern Germany.Průzkumníci
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2021
Les yeux dans les Bleus 2
IMDB 7 | May , 2002
Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty
IMDB 6.7 | Jun , 1938
Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.Fisticuffs
IMDB 6 | Aug , 1938
This Pete Smith Specialty short showcases former heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer with various sparring partners in the ring. Slow motion is used to illustrate how Baer uses his skills.Bad Boys
IMDB 7.7 | Apr , 2014
The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early '90s seemed willing to do anything to win. That characteristic made them loved — and hated. It earned them the title: Bad Boys.Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary
IMDB 7.6 | Jun , 1997
Filmmaker S.R. Bindler profiles Texas contestants trying to win a truck by keeping one hand on it longer than everyone else.Crusty 4: God Bless the Freaks
IMDB 0 | Dec , 1998
Continuing the popular series from Fleshwound Films, this highlight video shows some of the more insane things people have tried to do with motorcycles. Filled with death defying leaps from motocross events and off track leaps and hill climbs, this film moves at a frenetic pace. Several professional motocross riders, including Seth Enslow, pull off some amazing stunts and jumps. This is the fourth entry in the Crusty Demons of Dirt series.The Beefy Boys Project Vegas
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2026
The Beefy Boys first adventure , featuring their first entry into the world food championships in Las Vegas where they end up coming against some of the best chefs in the world & also a serial killer & his hitman….Fight Church
IMDB 5.5 | Sep , 2014
A documentary about the confluence of Christianity and mixed martial arts, including ministries which train fighters. The film follows several pastors and popular fighters in their quest to reconcile their faith with a sport that many consider violent and barbaric. Faith is tried and questions are raised. Can you really love your neighbor as yourself and then punch him in the face?Collingwood: From The Inside Out
IMDB 1 | Aug , 2019
An intimate look at Collingwood Football Club as it rebuilds itself and aims for glory over the course of the 2018 season.Clarkson: Thriller
IMDB 6.8 | Jan , 2008
Welcome to my all new DVD Thriller, which, as the name suggests, is all about thrills at the wheel. Aston Martin’s gentleman thug, the DBS, takes on its rivals from Italy. The lightweight Lamborghini Superleggera battles it out on the track with Ferrari’s 430 Scuderia and my test of the best takes me to the breathtaking roads of the Swiss Alps, the no limits German autobahn – and, er, Norfolk.Masters of Stone VI - Breakthrough
IMDB 10 | Apr , 2009
Once again, Masters of Stone breaks through to the cutting edge of the sport. Harder, Faster, Bolder, Newer, and more...six points of breakthrough in all.... where human edges toward the superhuman. This is the Super Bowl, Olympics, and Boston Marathon of rock climbing, all rolled into one. More than any other sport, rock climbing continually redefines its rules and resets its limits. Yesterday's impossible becomes today's warm-up as advances in mental and physical mastery combine to break new ground. Every few years the Masters of Stone series delivers a new episode that captures these breakthroughs in a tasty mix of music, character, commentary, and above all, visual action.The Sharp End
IMDB 7.5 | Feb , 2007
The Sharp End is an adrenaline-soaked journey up the world's most challenging walls: the French Alps, the Eiger, the Utah desert, the Diamond of Colorado, Indian Kashmir, Yosimite Granite, and the sandstone spires of the Czech Republic. Run-out routes, scary high-ball boulder problems, ice-covered alpine walls and all-or-nothing free-solo ascents will keep your palms perspiring.This Was the XFL
IMDB 7 | Feb , 2017
A bold challenge, a fearless experiment and ultimately, a spectacular failure. In 2001, sports entertainment titans Ebersol and McMahon launched the XFL. It was hardly the first time a league had tried to compete with the NFL, but the brash audacity of the bid, combined with the personalities and charisma of Ebersol and McMahon and the marketing behemoths of their respective companies -- NBC and WWE -- captured headlines and a sense of undeniable anticipation about what was to come.Untold: Sign Stealer
IMDB 6.8 | Aug , 2024
In this sports documentary, Connor Stalions addresses the allegations surrounding the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal for the first time.Turbo
IMDB 0 | Sep , 2008
A high-definition cinematic experience from Level 1 Productions, Turbo captures mind-blowing moments from the 2008 winter season. Spanning from the Midwest into Quebec, this project features Tanner Rainville, Justin Dorey, Ahmet Dadali and a host of other talented riders.