Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

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Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets

2020

1h 38m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

91 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

On the eve of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and on its final night before closing, a Las Vegas dive bar becomes a stage where its employees and barflies commiserate one last time.

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Critics Consensus

An intoxicating blend of documentary and fiction, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets surveys the bar-going life with a remarkably sober eye.

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Ty Burr

Ty Burr's Watch List (Substack)

Dec 6, 2025

3.5/4

Is “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” exploitative or enabling? On the contrary, it is friendly, clear-eyed, and wise — tender about our follies and unsentimental about where they lead us.

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Jan 4, 2021

4/5

Less a snapshot of life on America's fringes than a bleary napkin doodle, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets blurs the lines between fiction and fact to aptly intoxicating effect.

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Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Jan 4, 2021

5/5

The sense of the watering hole as a haven for lost souls - not to mention the threat of gentrification to civic space - couldn't be more vérité.

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Michael Carvelli

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jan 11, 2025

3.5/5

The experimental style used by the Ross Brothers helps Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets stand out as one of the most unique documentaries of 2020.

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Rory Doherty

InSession Film

Jun 13, 2024

A-

Goodbye, you guys, I found myself thinking, we’ve been through a lot together. The fact that Bloody Nose makes you feel a part of this last night is pretty special.

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Calum Baker

Radio Times

Feb 2, 2024

5/5

A skilfully lived-in and evocative portrait of life on the margins, which celebrates the camaraderie of a close community while adding a good measure of boozy melancholy.

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luca j

@RT97986902 Aug 22, 2021

It doesn't give you anything for free, but draws you in and rewards paying attention to the subtleties of the interactions. For me it was a brilliant commentary on 'change' and a perfect film.

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dave d

@RT34924333 Feb 18, 2021

Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross may have created a new genre, but this version eventually wears out its welcome. We have a documentary film that is casted, and at its best it's like any bar in America. It's a slice of life that has some moments that make you scratch your head until you learn the entire story! The less you know about this one going in the better, but after you watch it and read all about it. I'm mixed. Final Score: 5.7/10

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Dec 31, 2020

I must have missed something that other people didn't because I honestly feel like I wasted time that I will never regain by watching this. This movie is a sad depiction of what many do or actually don't do, with their lives. As they pontificate about the generational stereotypes, their philosophical beliefs fall flat. What is heart-breaking is that this bar and these regulars have valid meaning to many of their lives, and yet, none of them have genuine care or concern for the other. Although they spend so much time together, nobody really knows the other. It is a great example of what NOT to do with your life.

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Bill Ross IV

Director

Turner Ross

Director

Michael Martin

Actor

Peter Elwell

Pete

Shay Walker

Shay

Michael Gottwald

Producer

I Didn't See You There

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Periodical

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Plan C

95%

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Faceless

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Try Harder!

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Synopsis

On the eve of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and on its final night before closing, a Las Vegas dive bar becomes a stage where its employees and barflies commiserate one last time.

Director: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross
Producer: Michael Gottwald, Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross, Chere Theriot
Production Co: The Department of Motion Pictures, XTR
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2020
Runtime: 1h 38m

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