Movie Review - The Fighter

The Fighter (2010)

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo

Directed by David O. Russell

I won't pull any punches here (insert rimshot sound) and I'll just say right off the bat that The Fighter is a good film.  Well acted, well directed, and well written, I was never bored during the flick's run time.  However, like most films this year, despite excellent across-the-board technical aspects on display, there wasn't a "wow" factor that made me feel like I needed to watch this movie again anytime in the near future.  I mean, don't get me wrong.  The Fighter is well worth watching and is one of the better films of last year, but 2010 was the year of the "good film" and not the "great film."

At this point, considering the fact that the movie's been out for over two months, there's no need for a synopsis except to say that the flick is based on the true story of boxing brothers Micky Ward and Dickie Eklund with Mark Walhberg taking on the role of nice, but struggling-in-the-ring boxer Micky and Christian Bale tackling the drug-addled, past-his-prime Dickie.  What surprised me the most while watching is that although boxing is the impetus for many of the goings-on in the film, the story is really about a family and the dynamic between two brothers who want the best for each other, but go about attempting to achieve that greatness in different ways.  Ultimately, it's the family struggle (rather than a strict focus on the boxing) that makes this film better than most of the other sports-related "triumph" stories that are a Hollywood staple.

Of course, with three Oscar-nominated acting roles, the talent on the screen is top notch and also helps elevate the flick to a higher level.  Christian Bale is probably one of the greatest actors working today and he doesn't disappoint here.  Getting scarily skinny again (a la The Machinist), Bale injects the drugged-up Dickie with a surprising amount of heart which only makes things even harder for us in the audience when Dickie heads down the wrong path.

Melissa Leo is the front-runner in the Best Supporting Actress race and her role as Micky and Dickie's mother, Alice, could have easily veered into caricature, but Leo somehow manages to never take it there.  To be honest, I'm surprised I liked the role, because every time I saw a clip of the overbearing, thick-accented, sassy broad prior to seeing the movie, I got a hint of the "overacting" vibe emanating from Leo's performance.  In the movie, however, Leo's take on Alice was spot-on.

That being said, I think Amy Adams may have stolen the show despite the fact that her role as Micky's girlfriend Charlene is much more subdued than Leo's.  It's a gritty part unlike any I've seen Ms. Adams tackle before.  She's no Enchanted princess here, but underneath Charlene's gruff exterior is a woman who sees potential in Micky, but is devastated that he's ruining his chances at success by catering to his coked-up brother.

With a surprising amount of humor and heart plus a very tense and exciting final boxing sequence, The Fighter is certainly a good film.  Don't let the first paragraph of this review fool you into thinking otherwise.  

The RyMickey Rating:  B+