The key to success of most sports drama’s is in its ability to capture a binding quintessence of both sport and hero or heroine. Boxing in itself embodies a wealth of humanistic teachings such as resilience, endurance and discipline. In the case of David O Russells biopic The Fighter manages to broaden the parallel past the notion of one man’s fight into gripping family drama, a statement of brotherly and motherly love, galvanised by the thematic complexities of obscured loyalties and conflicted priorities.



Mark Wahlberg leads the line as Pro Boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, an embattled soldier like man of noble but crushed spirit, who we meet at a cross roads in his seemingly mediocre career. Wahlberg’s performance bares shades of the hapless loss of control that eventually evolves in Boogie Nights (1997) as well as the bulldog spirit of Invincible (2006). Early in the film the question is raised about the validity of his tutelage. Ward is governed by a coalition of blood firstly inside the ring with star of the show Christian Bale, playing brother Dicky a decayed local boxing legend turned trainer, whose life is in near terminal free fall through Crack addiction and accompanying petty criminality. Bale gives by far the most authentic performance of his career, an emotionally rangy tour de force, maneuvering through Dick Eklunds crippling self destruction.





Outside the ring Melissa Leo in her portrayal of mother Alice Ward attempts at being the matriarchal adhesive that must forge Family and Business, whilst a pack of Hyena like sisters also seem to be feasting from Micky’s trough. The disorganised managerial set up soon becomes an unsuspecting triumvirate when an incredulous Wahlberg falls in love with Amy Adams who plays a Charlene, a tough talking waitress eager to apply her own wisdom and perspective to the situation roundly rejected by the rest of the Ward clan. These performances provide the foundation for the feature, complimenting each other leaving sparks flying around the screen with Wahlberg’s pathos comes Bales preposterousness whilst Leo’s motherly devotion is countered by Adam’s divisibility.



Beyond the character study is an effective social commentary as the Ward/Eklund family are products of their drab and at times oppressive surroundings of Lowell, Massachusetts. Boxing is an outlet for many to lash out in a controlled environment, whilst those who don’t submit to the temptations of drug addiction, alcoholism and crime.



Other iconic Boxing films of differing eras will no doubt draw comparison but we aren’t romanticising as in Rocky (1976) or partaking in the savage poetry of Raging Bull (1980). The Fighter finds a place of its own within the pantheon of great Boxing pictures telling a story both of and for its time.



8/10

Of course, one should never forget the ultimate value to take away from boxing which is *beating up a grown man so long and so hard, until they're literally unable to get back up*. (I'm actually amazed this is still socially acceptable.)

@TheConciseStatement Hey!.. I heard the ConDem Government where going to make boxing mandatory for all children from the age of 8 till 16.

There breading another generation of culture-less brain-dead idiots.

They'll eventual replace the current government and change the nations anthem to the Theme from Rocky III.

Haven't we had enough boxing films, yet? It's a dying sport and rightly so.

I'm not a fan of boxing, truth be told I've always been a bit turned off by it, both this and the extra long trailer shown one too many times at my local cinema made me feel that I needn't bother seeing The Fighter. Still, the cinephile in me won over and I trundled on down to the World of Cine for a viewing and I'm so glad I did. I have not seen a boxing movie like this in a long time; perfectly paced, full of pathos (I cried a couple of times), intensity and surprsingly comedy, which does not come across in the trailer.



The oscar buzz surrounding Christian Bale's acting in this movie is well deserved, he shines as the larger than life Dickie Eklund and with the help of some added footage in the end credits you realise his performance is completely spot-on. Where Bale is manic and brash, Wahlberg holds back as the more even tempered Micky Ward, together they form the perfect double act. All supporting actors are fantastic in their respective roles, including Jack Mcgee as the brow beaten George Ward and the actresses playing the scary and frankly hilarious big haired sisters of Micky and Dickie . Special mention must go to Melissa Leo as the brassy, controlling Mother of the two boxers, making us dislike her intensely one minute and feel for her the next and Amy Adams is a revelation as Micky's feisty lover Charlene.

The boxing scenes themselves are intensely performed and filmed, so much so that this non-fan of boxing found herself making fists with her hands and worrying about their outcome, in particular the championship fight at the end, that perfectly rounds off the movie. It's not a groundbreaking film by any means but it is solid, well written and certainly well acted.

@ Dr Testical



Just seen Osborne's face after announcing that very slight increase to the bank levy. God he looked terrible - all the colour had drained from his face like he'd went ten rounds with Tyson. And by rounds, I don't mean boxing.

I agree with so many of the comments on here, watching two grown men beat ten tons of horse manure out of each other seems totally out of sync with the twenty first century.However after seeing The Fighter at the weekend I can put aside my indifference for this so called sport,and glory in Bale's performance as Dickie Eklund it realy is something special.Every time he's on screen he steals everything but the camera. Even Whalberg raises his game, which I never thought I'd see after his tragic turn in The Happening or Whispering Grass as I like to call it. A rich start to the cinematic year so far, and True Grit this weekend..... bring it on!!!

@Rourkesdrifter Right On!

Yeah, Bale's off screen, ahem, quirks, have opened him up to some rather unjustifiably snidey reviews underrating his acting ability. Was he acted off the screen by Heath Ledger? Well yes, but that's intrinsic to the character of the Joker - the fact that he wasn't given any solid one liners of his own is really Chris Nolan's problem. Also worth remembering that the decision to deepen Batman's voice in post probably isn't one that rests with Bale. And while Terminator Salvation wasn't the best career choice, it's not as if either he or Helena Bonham Carter can really do anything with such a mediocre script. Conversely, give the somewhat limited acting talents of Schwarzenegger and Michael Biehn a decent vehicle, and they come out of such a project looking pretty good. So overall, it's best not to judge the man based on external factors beyond his remit. He's already proved his commensurate skill many times over - American Psycho, The Machinist, Batman, Harsh Times, The Prestige and now The Fighter. He IS a good actor.

I agree about the fact that Christian Bale's performance is a showy performance and tends to get noticed more than Mark Walberg's, which is a lot more subtle but just as good.

To me Melissa Leo was the surprise revelation! I can see a couple of Oscars coming this way...

Check out my full review: https://wp.me/p19wJ2-71

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I'm disappointed you Kermode didn't give more time to reviewing The Fighter, I think it was better than you give it credit for and i think Russell's direction was pretty impressive in the film espicially the boxing scenes. It wasn't just a boxing film , it was a drama about family and letting go and it was truly moving, dramatic and brilliant. Bale is really a fantastic actor who is up there with De Niro, Pacino, etc in my eyes. But the whole cast were brilliant and i agree with you immensely about Mark Wahlberg, great actor. It was one of the films of the year in my opinion and better than Inception simply because it was more involving, dramatic and had way less flaws than Inception has.

Christian Bale is the epitome of acting