Review: The Fighter

Star and producer, Mark Wahlberg, introduced the film at the World Premiere in Los Angeles, claiming that he would travel to the house of anyone who didn’t like the movie and do hard labour in exchange for time spent watching it. A project obviously fuelled by passion; it was in development for four years and saw multiple actors and directors – including Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Darren Aronofsky – drop out before its final configuration was decided. But it seems his development hell was all worth it in the end as he was left with a seemingly perfect cast. The Fighter is a strong piece of work that benefits from the passion of everyone involved.

The film tells the real-life story of “Irish” Micky Ward (Wahlberg), a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, who fought the odds to become a welterweight boxing champion in the 1980s. Basically the plot of every sporting film in history (insert name, town and sport here), but the film benefits from its focus on his family struggles - with the boxing matches being filmed as if for TV to make them seem like a separate entity to his personal struggles in the film. At the beginning I felt like I would have benefited from actually having heard of Ward and from ever seeing a boxing match, but it didn’t take long for me to feel like I’d been following his, and his brothers, careers for years and while anybody can guess the outcome of the final fight, you are left constantly unsure of how his family situation will pan out. 

While Wahlberg is the one who – behind the scenes at least – appeared most dedicated to getting this move made, it’s the other actors that are more likely to go home with acting accolades come February. If nothing else, this movie will be remembered for a phenomenal performance from Christian Bale and exceptional work from Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. But, while watching the film Wahlberg is outshined by his supporting cast, in retrospect his restrained and believable performance erases any doubts that he is a talented actor. Wahlberg is at his best, not as an action star despite his impressive muscles but instead, when he lets his guard down in films like Four Brothers and Boogie Nights. He provides much needed relief from Bale’s energetic performance: his rueful shrug towards the camera in the very final shot as his brother takes the limelight once again showing the bruised heart of a guy used to being eclipsed by his many siblings.

Micky has a huge family who hinder him from living up to his full potential. He is managed by his mum Alice (Leo), followed by his gaggle of seemingly jobless sisters and trained by his older brother Dicky Ecklund (Bale), a former professional boxer who earned the nickname “the pride of Lowell” after he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard. The film’s title points more to the battle with his family than the boxing, especially with his brother, who he has always looked up to but is now, sadly, a crack addict. 

Wahlberg and Bale play spectacularly off each other and it is clear from the video of the real Micky and Dicky at the end of the film that they capture the brother’s relationship perfectly, Bale in particular completely becoming Dicky. Bale slinks around the screen, constantly moving and talking non-stop. His wiry, serpent like body weaves in and out of spaces, making the audience follow him across the screen, leaving them unsure of his reliability and intentions but never wavering about his familial love. His friendly and flamboyantly entertaining personality leaves you liking him no matter how much he lets people down, leaving you just as unsure as Micky is of whether he should leave him behind. Bale has always been an incredible physical actor, but he takes it to another level here. 


Amy Adams seems poised to be nominated for another Academy award, this time for her depiction of Charlene, Micky’s “tell it like it is” college dropout turned bartender girlfriend. She’s a great influence on Micky and imbues the character with a strength sorely lacking in female characters on screen these days (and you have to love her classy, classy outfits). Melissa Leo also does a terrific job as the overprotective Alice, a character we alternately despise and sympathize with. Yes she’s a horrible person, but she thinks she’s doing what’s best for her son.

Not forgetting director David O Russell, who was just as impressive as the cast. The head body head body fighting style of Ward echoed in the family fighting family fighting construct of the film. Most of the fighting scenes were turned over to the experts, which was a very good decision, and Russell's scenes were handled with skill. They hired HBO crews and used 90s era cameras to create a convincing, accurate portrayal of how the matches would have looked on TV and the fighting was so convincing that they actually had me covering my eyes and worrying for their safety at points (as I said, I've never seen a boxing match). I've heard from boxing fans that Wahlberg convincingly portrays Ward's famous liver-quivering left hook).

It’s a huge crowd pleaser and had the whole audience cheering, a rarity in English cinemas. The formula is somewhat predictable but the direction is skillfull, culling great performances from actors that signify The Fighter as one of the best-acted films of the year. It was a wholly satisfying experience that provided tears, laughter and brilliant accents. It’s the most uplifting, exuberant fun you’re likely to have at the cinema this year.