The Fighter

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Mickey O'Keefe, Jack McGee
Directed by: David O. Russell
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Sport
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) suffers through a rough patch in his boxing career, trained by his former boxer brother (Christian Bale), who battles his own demons with drugs.

Review:
Tim: The Fighter is a fantastic boxing movie, a powerful family drama, and one of the best movies of 2010. I didn't expect to like this film as much as I did. It is an extremely well told story, has some humorous moments, and some inspirational ones. I thought about it long after the credits ended, and it was just as good the second time around. David O. Russell has created a truly great movie here.

The cast is pretty incredible. It picked up two Academy Awards for Acting. Christian Bale won for Best Supporting Actor, and Melissa Leo won for Best Supporting Actress. I struggle with liking Bale as a person, even though I respect him greatly as an actor. He really transforms himself in many ways in this film. He was perfect as the drug addicted, ex-boxer Dicky Eklund. He transformed his body, but it is his crazy (and yet, restrained) performance that creates the most lasting effect. I didn't realize just how good he was until the credits rolled and you saw the real Dick Eklund. That revealed how astonishingly accurate Bale was. He deserved the Academy Award.

I also don't particularly like Melissa Leo as a person. However, she's pretty incredible here. I hated her character so much, because she was a bad, selfish mother who manipulated those around them. She created those strong feelings with her performance of a flawed, real person. Her performance is hard to watch, but it's incredibly memorable. However, I don't think she should have won the Academy Award. I actually believe her costar, Amy Adams was more deserving. Adams is so important to this movie, but never in a flashy way. She gives a hard, emotional performance that conveyed how important her character was in the life of Micky Ward. She has some of the film's funniest lines, and also is part of some of the most emotional moments. She portrayed an inner strength that suggested no matter how many wrong turns she's made, or opportunities squandered, she was determined to create a better life for herself. I think she should have won the Academy Award. I was very impressed with her.

And, that brings us to Mark Wahlberg. I've grown to like Wahlberg more and more over the years, even though I'm not convinced he is a great actor. He was in the lead role here, and yet, he's the only main actor not to receive an Academy Award nomination. I think that was the right choice. Is Wahlberg good here? Certainly- in fact, it might be the best performance of his career. Unfortunately, his best still doesn't equal those terrific actors around him. He's clearly the weak link in the cast. And yet, this movie doesn't exist without Wahlberg. He is absolutely the right person to play Micky Ward. He bulked up significantly and looks the part. He needed to give the most physical performance of the film, and he does so admirably. I believed in his character, which speaks to his talent. And yet, while he does a good job, he's never really great- not even for a second.

The Fighter does a good job of telling an underdog tale (which we all love) about a down-on-his-luck boxer who gets another shot. I feel like this story has been told repeatedly in Hollywood, and yet, this didn't feel like a rehash. It felt like a personal story of one man's struggles to be better than he was (who just happened to be a boxer). I was entertained, I was moved, and I was impressed. This is quite simply a solidly made movie from beginning to end. It's one of the best sports movies of the last decade, and among my all time favorites.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Rocky, The Machinist, Ali, Million Dollar Baby