The Fighter - Review

Reviewing a movie like The Fighter can pose a minor dilemma. Namely that its so by-the-numbers Oscar bait that many will dismiss it for adding virtually nothing new or original. On the other hand, you can't deny a quality film, and I always do my best to remain as unbiased as a film critic as I can be. So, without further ado, here's The Fighter.

The Fighter is based on the true story of boxer Mickey Ward. Growing up in a lower income family in Lowell, Massachusetts, Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a talented fighter living in the shadow of his older half brother and trainer, Dicky Eklund (played by Christian "Better finally get a freakin' Oscar nomination!!!" Bale). Eklund was once a promising boxer who, in his prime, famously beat the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. While in his heyday, Eklund fell victim to a crack addiction, thoroughly killing his chances of making it to the top. Also accompanying Ward is his loving yet not always thoughtful mother and manager, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo) and his equally loving yet imperfect girlfriend, Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams). All of Mickey's friends and family genuinely love and care for him, but are putting Mickey in the middle of their excessive dysfunction, prejudice, and selfishness.

You can't have an effective drama without compelling performances, and this is where The Fighter shines. While not the best movie of the year, it may very well be the best cast. Mark Wahlberg gives a wonderful understated performance as Ward, caught in a believable dilemma of having to take sides he would rather not choose. Wahlberg's performance is incredibly sympathetic, and even if we haven't been in that particular situation, I think everyone can relate to him in one way or another. Amy Adams performance as Ward's girlfriend Charlene is equally compelling. She's not the most likable character, but you can see where she is coming from. Plus, both Adams and Wahlberg had good chemistry together, creating a believable romance mostly free of cliches.

Of course, what is easily the show-stealing performance has to go to Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund. Bale has been infamous for dramatically changing his physique and weight for a number of his movies, and he does it again for The Fighter. Its always incredible to see him go from his bulked up and massive physique in the Batman movies to a borderline emaciated appearance for this. Bale really sells this role, completely immersing himself into this character and losing himself in it. Some might complain that he is overshadowing Wahlberg, (and he is) but it works with the story. The movie is about a man who has been overshadowed by his older brother his whole life, and how he attempts to find his own identity. The character contrast between Bale and Wahlberg works very well in that context.

Normally, I don't delve into the supporting cast too often unless I feel it is needed, and this is one of those cases. Mickey's mother/manager, Alice, is played by Melissa Leo. In a sea of such stellar lead performances, you would think she would be left in the dirt, but not in this case. She brings a realistically complicated mother/son relationship to her performance. She is a mother who legitimately wants what is best for her sons but at times gets distracted by her own objectives and fails to see what is going on around her. Finally, the rest of Mickey's extended family, while minor characters, are realistic looking characters with believable personalities. Everyone in this movie is superbly cast, there are no characters that have black-and-white good/bad personalities, everyone has issues but all with the best of intentions.

As far as the script is concerned... there is almost nothing new or original here. Unfortunately, the movie looses points as one of the more predictable movies of the year. When you think of nearly every boxing/sports movie ever made, The Fighter follows that same basic formula and does little to stray away from it. Granted, The Fighter is based on a true story so you can't drift away too much from fact. I don't know how authentic the movie is to what really happened though, so I can't judge it for that quite yet. Despite the movie not being original, its still a compelling and interesting drama with a predictable ending. Expect some Oscar nominations for acting but probably not for screenwriting.

Finally, we come to the visual style. Director David O Russel shoots The Fighter is shot in the sort of gritty, realistic, documentary-style that has become so popular lately. I've never been a huge fan of it, but this time it works quite well. Yes, the camera is mostly hand-held, but its held in a way so that it is not flailing around all over the place. I prefer to see what is happening on screen... nicely done. The fight scenes are shot quite well, with most of the actors actually taking their hits. Most of the locations are, from what I hear, not even sets, but actual locations belonging to the real Mickey Ward. Everything works... its sets up this believable environment that accentuates the mood quite well.

Overall, The Fighter is an incredibly well acted, well shot, and decently written movie. This one will definitely get some Oscar nominations and should stand a good chance at winning a few of them. Go check it out!

My Score: 4.5 out of 5!