The Fighter

It’s no “Raging Bull”, but it does pack a punch.

The H-Bomb: After watching “The Fighter”, I can now proudly say that I have seen five of this past year’s Best Picture Nominees, the other four being “127 Hours”, “Black Swan”, “The Social Network”, and “Inception” (still haven’t checked out the big winner, “The King’s Speech” yet, sorry). And out of those five, I believe that every single one most definitely deserved to be on that list, with “The Fighter” deserving a spot high up on the list.

The story revolves around Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund (Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale), two half-brothers in Lowell, Massachusetts. Dicky is a washed up, has been boxer turned crackhead who’s big claim to fame is that he once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, though whether or not it was a legit knock down is up for debate. In the early parts of the film, he’s being followed around by a documentary crew from HBO as they make what he believes is a film about his comeback, when in reality what they’re making is an up close and personal portrait of a drug addict.

Dicky also ostensibly works as trainer for his younger brother, struggling up and comer Micky. However, when it comes time to train, Dicky is usually too busy getting his fix at the friendly neighborhood crack-house. Micky’s career has stalled lately, as he’s gained a reputation for being a “stepping stone,” a chump fighter who other boxers take on because they figure he’s an easy win and a way to move on to bigger and better fights. Matters are not helped when Micky lets his brother and mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), a domineering, hard-as-nails broad who acts as his manager, talk him into taking a fight at the last minute with a guy who’s twenty pounds heavier than him.

Goes without saying that Micky’s career is shaping up to be even less impressive than Dicky’s. Then Micky meets a woman, a tough bartender named Charlene (Amy Adams), who helps convince Micky that his family (mother and brother, specifically), aren’t necessarily the best ones to manage his career. When Dicky is sent away to do a stretch in prison, Micky comes under new management and actually starts to win a few fights. He then gets his shot at a title bout in London, but he runs the risk of alienating his family forever. He does care about them, but he recognizes that they’ve done his career more harm than good.

“The Fighter” is a few genres in one. It’s part boxing movie, part family drama, and part underdog film, and it succeeds with flying colors as all three. It, being based on a true story (the most over-used words in Hollywood), is authentic, moving, and inspiring. It’s the kind of film that’s been made before, but much like “The Blind Side”, I thought it worked so well that it didn’t really matter to me. Yeah, it’s no big surprise who’s going to win the climatic title fight, but it’s so satisfying when the inevitable conclusion does happen, that I didn’t mind.

What makes this movie a cut above others of its ilk is the authenticity of its look and feel, as well as the actors. Everybody gives it their all and then some in front of the camera. Wahlberg is as good as he’s ever been as a boxer who dreams of winning a title, but who also loves and wants to do right by his family. He’s a stellar lead, but regrettably he is out shined by Bale, who is simply incredible in the much showier role of Dicky. Once again drastically altering his physicality and his voice, Bale plays that kind of almost hopelessly deluded, broken down substance abuser who only lives through drugs and past glories to perfection. He really puts everything he’s got into this role, making Dicky equally pathetic and sympathetic, and delivers what in my humble opinion is his best performance to date, which is saying a lot.

The other standout is Leo, who makes the mother of these two fighters one of the fiercest matriarch’s ever put on film. Not only is she practically unrecognizable, her Alice is fiery, ferocious, and could shout down (and possibly beat down) just about anyone who would be stupid enough to try and get in her face. She’s iron willed and self-serving to a fault, but the film remembers that she too is human, and ultimately wants what’s best for her sons. Leo and Bale both took home Oscars for their work, and both awards are richly deserved. Their turns alone make the movie worth watching.

Adams is also strong as Micky’s love interest, Charlene, who is the only character with the testicles to effectively stand up to Alice, and to motivate Micky to rethink his career strategy. She offers the perfect balance of strength, brains, and warmth, and she can add this to her long list of stellar performances (this officially erases her annoying, crybaby turn in “Julie & Julia”).

Director David O. Russell, who in the past gave us the stylized war film “Three Kings” and the off-puttingly odd “I (heart) Huckabee’s”, brings us his most straightforward and sincere film to date. He sidesteps his usual visual tricks and quirkiness in order to just let the story tell itself. The character relationships and the drama are believable, and Russell’s handling of the boxing scenes are masterful. I could almost feel those killer punches to the liver that Micky socks his opponents with throughout the film.

Sadly, I do have to deduct a point from this fighter for playing out in such a foreseeable way at the end, but, predictability aside, I give it half a point back for delivering an emotionally satisfying conclusion without feeling forced or turning sappy on our asses. Though I hear that Russell and Wahlberg are already mapping out a sequel… erm… yeah, don’t know how I feel about that, yet.

In terms of boxing movies, “The Fighter” doesn’t quite contend with “Raging Bull” (Greatest… Boxing Film… Ever!) or the original “Rocky”, but it is far superior to that nauseatingly over-rated pile of fertilizer, “Million Dollar Baby”. It most certainly is one of the best films to come out last year, and if you missed it in theaters, then now is the time for you to right that wrong.