Peter Travers of “Rolling Stone” had it right when he said about “The Fighter” that “it sneaks up and floors you.” On the way to the screening, I wasn’t particularly excited to see the film. It looked a little boring, and not the type of movie I usually want to see. I was definitely wrong. “The Fighter” is one the best films of 2010.
“The Fighter” is the true story about Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), a boxer who is trying to make a name for himself. His brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), a former professional boxer, is his trainer. Dicky is also a drug addict, and that interferes with giving Micky the proper training he deserves. The brothers’ mother (Melissa Leo) is another obstacle in Micky’s way, overly trying to manage his career. After Dicky gets thrown in jail, Micky looks to the other people in his life to help him succeed, including his new girlfriend (Amy Adams).
Although the summary seems flat and “Lifetime movie-ish,” the film isn’t. One of the main points I must express is how performance driven this film is. The performances were excellent. There are no words to describe how brilliant Christian Bale’s portrayal of Dicky is. He nailed his character perfectly. It was a flawless performance of flaw-filled character. If you never thought much of Melissa Leo before, you will after this movie. She played their mother with sass and emotion. The rest of the performances by Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, and company are great. But I fully expect Bale and Leo to get recognition for their work during awards season.
David O. Russell films the movie well. I like how he chose to display the fights. For the popular fights that were televised, he made it look we were watching it on television. We saw Micky fighting his opponent on a grainy looking screen. It made it feel more real, like this fight is really happening now, not years ago. I never liked watching fighting or boxing, but I couldn’t help getting completely absorbed into the boxing matches. Another thing I liked was how the movie transitioned from scene to scene. It’s hard to explain but music was used as a transition. For example, the sound of Micky punching the bag was in sync to Dicky running across town. It was different, and it allowed me to get swallowed into the next scene before it even started.
“The Fighter” is a great movie, and I feel like it isn’t getting enough buzz. Go see this movie. It’s funny, emotional and interesting. Prepare to be KO’d off your feet.
“The Fighter” is now in limited release. It will release wide on December 17th.
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