The Fighter (2011)

Yesterday I had the privilege of finally getting to watch David O. Russell's sports drama 'The Fighter'. I emphasise finally as I must have watched the trailer for this film about 50 times (no word of a lie). And hey, of course I have since it's been attached to pretty much every big movie released so far this year. After all, we're only a few weeks away from the main event (Oscars). Still, part of me was worried that after building this film up in my head, I'd be knocked down by my own preconceptions. So is 'The Fighter' worth ringside seats?

'The Fighter' is definitely an actor's film. It's a towering tour-de-force of big names and rising stars including Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. All of whom are fantastic throughout. But this fight belongs to Bale. His performance as Dicky Eklund is the finest I've seen this year and is worthy of mention alongside actors like Daniel Day-Lewis. And quite rightly, Bale has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I sincerely hope he wins.

The plot follows the true story of Micky 'Irish' Ward (Wahlberg), a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. He is managed by his mother Alice (Melissa Leo) and trained by his half-brother Dicky. During the course of the film, he develops a relationship with Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams). The film chronicles the troubles the family faces before the penultimate big title fight.

It's interesting that Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) is one of the producers as you can see some of his stylistic qualities in the HBO documentary sections of the film. This is shot on handheld camera and gives the movie a very raw feel. Similarly, the boxing sequences are shot as if you were watching them on a tv screen. All of this allows O. Russell to create a fluid, realistic vision of boxing.

'The Fighter' is less a film about boxing and more a film about family. Obviously the main theme of the movie is Micky's journey as a boxer. But the narrative mainly boils down to the relationship between him, Dicky and Alice. Luckily, these actors/actresses are of the highest quality and allow the film to flourish into something more than another generic sports biopic. Without Bale, this movie would only be an above average underdog tale. However, with him it is one of the finest pieces of cinema I've seen in a long time. Sure it's no 'Rocky' or 'Raging Bull'. But then it doesn't try to be. The film is as concerned with family and crack addiction, as it is with boxing.

A scene at the end shows the real life Micky Ward and Dicky Ecklund. Christ, I got shivers seeing Dicky talk as Christian Bale nailed the performance. I've always admired Bale as an actor but with this film he's really outdone himself. Wahlberg, Leo and Adams are also impressive but this is one of the few movies I've seen where the supporting actor steals the show. I urge you to go see 'The Fighter' and defy anyone not to cross their fingers for Micky Ward in that final match.