Dickie Eklund (CHRISTIAN BALE) is a former boxing legend whose life has become shattered by drug abuse whilst Micky Ward (MARK WAHLBERG), his half brother, has become the town's fighter and fading hope for a champion.
The Fighter is a glorious film, covering the best of both Hollywood worlds. You have an honest and optimistic sports movie, full of the entertaining emotion you could wish for, tempered by Scorcese-like gritty film-making that delivers a punch! Sorry, but there has to be one cheap pun when you review a sports movie!
Many reviews and poster taglines leapt on the idea of this being the best boxing movie since Rocky, and they are absolutely right, but that still somehow sells it short. Rocky was a phenomenon, yet The Fighter surpasses it by also being the best boxing movie since Raging Bull. In truth, the unavoidable clichés -despite them being true- of Micky Ward's story will forever separate it from the consummate masterpiece of dark irony about Jake La Motta, but director David O. Russell and star Mark Whalberg want us to feel the pure drive and emotion of Ward's struggle for success and recognition as an ode to what can be achieved, not a lesson about fame.
Maybe it's more The Shawshank Redemption meets Goodfellas without the indulgence! But all these other movies being mentioned dilute Russell's achievement. He is not a prolific director, but he is an exciting and vibrant one, an individual talent. His Three Kings is full of invention and character that stands up today and The Fighter is the same. He works potential from every scene and will grab you from the opening sequence of the brothers reliving the old days while they sweep the streets. Some shots are truly breath-taking and not just in the superb, brutal fight scenes which go without saying, mainly because it's always driven by the characters so every visual decision is grounded. Use of sound is incredible too; when the two brothers are entering one of the fights to a chorus of boos drowning out Micky's walk-on song, they sing it quietly to themselves instead. Russell has a fluid style that flows effortlessly, perhaps mirroring the grace of the boxers in the ring, and it makes it very watchable even in the most powerful moments. The seamless editing gives the film a rhythm that never loses time, matched with old fashioned sparky dialogue in Scott Silver's screenplay.
While true-life stories are often tough to make convincing, the ambitious narrative essentially follows two plots, one of each brother, and cleverly shifts focus between them. Although it is fundamentally Micky's story of a boxer looking for his first major win, it also drives a tale of redemption for drug addict ex-boxer Dicky (Christian Bale), determined to make a comeback of his own via a documentary and his job of trainer for his younger brother. It's heart-breaking to see him battle drugs and frequently lose when there is so much at stake and you'll be willing him to pull himself together. While some dismissed him as merely a character with a tic, Bale's performance is subtle and measured; the tics are almost like a magician's sleight of hand while his eyes hold the focus. Above all, it is a generous performance as he works the scenes with his co-stars, in particular Whalberg. As Micky, Mark turns in a career best role. To be fair, he's never been an actor one might take notice of, but he deserves full attention here. He is absolutely convincing in and out of the ring. Apparently he grew up close to where the brothers lived and that authenticity runs through the film at every level.
The supporting cast are stand-outs too. In particular, Melissa Leo as the boys' ferocious mother, leading her daughters like a gang! She is Micky's manager and jealousy guards her position, but without realising it, she might be damaging his chances. Much of the drama comes from Micky learning he has to break some of those suffocating bonds and find his own meaning in life. At first glance, it seems an obvious character, but Leo reveals a delicate and vulnerable centre to Alice without ever being obvious, except maybe one particularly emotional scene with Dicky. Most of the time though she's throwing plates and spitting memorable one-liners! Great fun, if a little scary; not that Amy Adams seems to notice. In a wonderful performance as Micky's girlfriend and a direct threat to Alice, she refuses to back down. It's a role that could so easily have been side-lined, but the feisty red-head refuses to be ignored and represents the films core approach of never settling for "good enough".
It's easy to be cynical about The Fighter: Oscar baiting true story, with a cynically predictable sports movie plot and showboating actors? No way. It has to give in to the conventions of sports movies in the second half, but David O. Russell turns that to an advantage. It is a magnificent and exhilarating experience to watch.
We will publish your review of The Fighter [Blu-ray] on Blu Ray within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.
Please note this is a region B Blu-ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale star in this inspirational and powerful true story of two brothers who against all the odds come together to train for a historic title fight that has the power to unite their fractured family and give their run down town what it's been waiting for: Pride. Struggling boxer Micky Ward has long been overshadowed by his older brother and trainer, Dicky, a local legend who is now battling his own demons. The explosive relationship of these brothers threatens to take them both down but at the heart of this story is a bond of blood that may just be their only chance of redemption.
Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale star in this drama based on the lives of professional boxers and half-brothers Mickey 'Irish' Ward and Dicky Eklund. From a tough childhood in Lowell, Massachusetts, Dicky (Bale) becomes a talented boxer in the late 1970s and early '80s. Away from the ring, however, he becomes addicted to crack cocaine and resorts to crime to support his habit. When Mickey (Wahlberg) begins to show similar promise in the boxing ring, Dicky decides to retire from the sport and become his brother's trainer - but can he kick his drug habit and dedicate himself to making Mickey a star? Bale won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actress.
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy
