The Fighter
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo
Director: David O.Russell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ok so we have endured a series of boxing movies over the years which follow characters through adversity before coming through the other side.
And while The Fighter does tread this path David O. Russell has delivered a very powerful and brought together an insanely talented cast that turn in some outstanding performances.
The movie follows "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his unlikely path to become world lightweight champion.
Bale plays Dicky Eklund, Micky's half-brother and a talented fighter who once went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in a title fight but then turned to crime and landed in prison.
Then he turned his life around and helped his underperforming brother find the spark for a remarkable run that led to the world title.
The Fighter really is a story of triumph against the odds as Micky steps out of the shadow of his brother and has one last stab at glory.
It’s the performance of his career from Wahlberg as he keeps the movie focused on Mickey’s journey and struggle - despite the excellent performances and sub-plots going on around him.
This movie has been a labour of love for Wahlberg as he has been linked to and trained for this role of years - and he seriously doesn’t disappoint.
Micky is the underdog and yet his battling and fighting spirit means that you find himself rooting for him and willing him on to glory.
Christian Bale is hots on favourite to pick up the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Dicky Eklund a former boxer who saw his career slip through his fingers as he fell into drugs.
It’s another one of those above the call of duty performances from Bale as steals every scene that he is in.
Dicky is a complex character who struggles with his crack addiction and yet believes that his brother can go on and be the champion that he never was.
Dicky and Micky are brothers at war but The Fighter is just as much about family difficulties as it is about boxing as David O.Russell examines family ties and loyalties through these two central characters.
Melissa Leo is also superb as their mother Alice - a strong woman who has tried to guide her sons through their careers - not always getting it right.
And it’s great to see Amy Adams leave behind her fluffy characters to take on the tough and world wise Charlene - here’s hoping that she does take on more roles like this.
And what is interesting about The Fighter is the director is not afraid to let the boxing take a back seat as he develops his characters fully and lets plenty of the drama happen outside of the ring.
Having said that the fight scenes are incredibly powerful - Wahlberg really does pack and awesome punch - and while the boxing scenes don’t dominate the movie they scream authenticity.
David O.Russell has delivered a very powerful movie about one man’s struggle to achieve his goal, learning about the importance of family along the way.
We may have seen a whole host of boxing movies in the past there is something incredibly fresh about The Fighter and it just proves that true stories are always the best.
The Fighter is out now.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw