The fighter follows the tale of Irish American boxer Micky Ward and his "crackhead" brother, who helped him train in the 1980's. Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a blue collar worker with a dream of making it big as a boxer. In his corner is Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale) who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard and has lived off the local fame and crack cocaine ever since. His mother (Melissa Leo) is the older version of a pageant mom who desperately wants success for her boy but struggles against her own selfishness. Everyone in his corner is working against him until he meets Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams) who helps him get his career and his life on track.
The performances from this very strong cast are electrifying. Each holds their own immensely, but a standout performance from Christian Bale shines through.
The lengths he endures as an actor to achieve such a believable character from the last is very admirable and any nods for awards are duely deserved.
Wahlberg's duties as Micky are largely confined to that of a dramatic anchor. This might be a thankless role by comparison, but The Fighter would fail to land its knockout blow without him.
It's uncomfortable at points, because it's so squirmingly guilt-inducing. It oozes off the screen with every Marlboro sigh, and snuffly threatened tear. The fight scenes move like real life and any comparisons to Rocky style action shots fall flat, you feel every punch and blow.
Real people have been created here. Yes they are based on actual real life characters, but the depth and emotional impact in the performances give a very believable inlet into this story.
Even if you're not a boxing fan, The Fighter should be on your list of things to see. It's a movie that transcends the limited audience of the sport it covers thanks to a universal story brought to life by some of the best actors working right now.
A definate knockout..
5/5
