76m •
2017
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.
Warrior Poets • US
Fictionless •
MinusL Productions •
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
2013•
0
2008•
6.5
2006•
5.8
1991•
0
2011•
0
2013•
0
2014•
6.4
2014•
0
2013•
7.1
2003•
7.5
2004•
8.0
2022•
6.0
2012•
8.5
2016•
7.0
2008•
6.8
2016•
0
