Release Date: 12/10/2010 (Limited)
The Fighter, directed by David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) and based on a true story, is a sports drama centering on Micky Ward and his crack head stepbrother Dicky Ecklund, a former boxing legend and the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts. This film really isn’t much of a sports movie, but focuses more on the dramatic elements of Micky’s dysfunctional family. Every character is extremely realistic and plays off each other in amazing ways. It is a high quality production in the heart of Oscar season with performances that are sure to get some notice, and definitely makes for one of the most satisfying films of 2010.
The film follows Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) in 1993 in his blue-collar hometown of Lowell, Mass. His trainer is his older half-brother, Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), whose moment of glory was having once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard. Micky is brutally loyal to his brother, and it’s having a negative effect on his career. Dicky is a charismatic crack head whose story of addiction is being documented by an HBO film crew. Also in Micky’s path is his attention whore of a mother Alice (Melissa Leo) who doubles as Micky’s manager and is sure that Dicky is clean and going to make a comeback. But, it’s when Ward gets involved with a foul-mouthed bartender Charlene (Amy Adams) that he realizes that maybe it’s his family that is holding him back.
The performances are the first thing that stands out in this film and it’s an amazing ensemble cast. Wahlberg is the center of it all but portrays his character in a very modest tone, which is a little different then some of his characters in the past. It works very well in this, as he becomes more of a backdrop for his more colorful family members around him. He has remarkable chemistry with Bale and Adams and each relationship is believable and well developed. Amy Adams is great as always, there’s just something about her that is very likeable in every role she has ever been in. It was fun to see her as a foul-mouthed hard ass that wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. The performance is almost a complete 180 from her role in Doubt, but could earn her another well-deserved nomination. Melissa Leo also puts in some quality work with an almost unrecognizable role, as Micky’s trashy, high-tempered, but loving mother. She seriously could have been the mother of Amy Ryan’s character from Gone Baby Gone. She steals a handful of scenes and could also be in the running for best supporting actress.
Boxing films have always been a vessel for some great performances. Robert De Niro’s unforgettable Oscar winning turn in Raging Bull, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, and Hilary Swank in the Oscar winning film Million Dollar Baby, and one can’t forget one of the biggest snubs in Oscar history, Paul Giamatti in Cinderella Man. The Fighter is no different as it holds what I think is hands down the best performance of the year so far. From the opening scene to the closing this is Christian Bale’s film. Another physical transformation makes him so entrenched in his character that it’s almost unbelievable that you are watching the same person who plays Batman on the big screen. He carries the most interesting story and as he stares behind the glass of a cell or leans down in a silhouette of disappointment, the sadness and regret are painted on his face. It is a truly haunting performance and one that will most likely get him his first Oscar nomination with a hell of a chance for him to take home the gold.
David O. Russell has definitely crafted a very entertaining film and one that will probably go down as a crowd favorite of the year. It successfully mixes its action scenes with good drama and even some funny moments with Dicky. It ends up being an uplifting story about not giving up or ever giving up hope on your family. The boxing itself isn’t the greatest or most realistically choreographed that I’ve seen in a film but the way they made it look like an old HBO event worked pretty well. The soundtrack also adds some great classic rock tunes as Micky walks out to Whitesnake – Here I Go Again, and even though some tracks felt out of place, I felt others worked perfectly.
It definitely isn’t a Best Picture winner like Million Dollar Baby; Wahlberg probably won’t win best actor like De Niro did, and let’s hope that Bale doesn’t get snubbed like Giamatti. Either way, The Fighter will pummel you in the kidneys and will have you pissing blood for weeks.
IMDB: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Moviewiseguys: 8.5/10
