You walk through the crowd and jump into the boxing ring. As you wait for the bell to sound, your heart pumps with pure adrenaline. Soon, you will be immersed in a world of exciting blows, entirely captivated by the action in front of you. This is the beauty of David O. Russell's The Fighter.
As soon as the lights turn off in the theater and the movie starts rolling, you become engulfed in a relentlessly entertaining tale that refuses to let you go until the screen fades to black. The Fighter is more than any run-of-the-mill sports movie; it weaves a thrilling, intricate drama around the real life story of famed boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward.
Unlike many sports films, The Fighter puts as much energy into developing the personal dynamics surrounding the protagonist as it does presenting the sport at hand. In the case of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), watching his family interactions generates as much excitement as seeing him get a knockdown in the boxing ring. The movie particularly emphasizes Ward's rollercoaster relationship with his brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), a former boxer turned crack-addict. Ward also struggles with having his mother serve as his manager. The rest of his family rounds out with seven sisters, who should be compared to a group of Disney witches: ugly, moody and incessantly annoying.
When it comes to the actual boxing matches, the cast and crew took extensive measures to ensure authenticity. Wahlberg, who plays Ward brilliantly, trained for four years to develop the "boxing body" he needed for the film; in addition, he had special boxing trainers help him replicate Ward's fighting style. Finally, the commentary and camera used by Russell were the same as those used by HBO for Ward's old matches. By maintaining a strong sense of reality with the boxing matches and surrounding Ward with family drama, Russell provides plenty of entertainment for viewers of various tastes.
The acting in The Fighter is delightfully satisfying to watch. Wahlberg once again proves he is a bona fide star capable of carrying a movie, and the many supporting actors are just as strong. Bale's performance as the struggling crack addicted brother was unbelievably realistic, and Melissa Leo masters her dual role as Ward's mother and manager. The cherry on top of this acting sundae delight is Amy Adams, breaking out of her good girl roles to become the sassy bartender Charlene, Micky's love interest.
The only flaw of The Fighter is its predictable nature, a common dilemma of sports movies. As the film is based on a true story, this was an inevitable predicament. But Russell's attention to the drama surrounding Ward cleverly masks predictable boxing outcomes with uncertainties within his love life and family. Through skilled acting and direction, The Fighter deftly succeeds where most sports movies have failed, taking its place as one of year's best.
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