User reviews

In many ways, "The Fighter" is the film of 2011. A family drama with a pugilistic background. The punches, physical and emotional in and out of the ring took me completely by surprise. What didn't surprise me was Mark Wahlberg's signature all over the place. Let me explain: Many years ago I was at a lecture by director Martin Donovan when during the Q&A somebody made fun of the fact that Calvin Klein underwear model Marky Mark had played a part (his first acting role) in Donovan's made for TV "The Substitute" Donovan with elegance, wit and firmness destroyed the guy asking the question, describing Wahlberg's strengths and ended up saying "Mark Wahlberg will be one of the top actors around and he will probably be running Hollywood within a decade" I had Donovan's words buzzing in my ears when I sat speechless watching "Boogie Nights". Wahlberg also produced "Entourage" and the startling "In Treatment". He now produced "The Fighter" and his performance, interior and powerful, dominates the film allowing other members of the cast, to shine in truly showy roles, Christian Bale for instance - really good. Melissa Leo is a stand out as the mother/manager. Superb. So I won't be surprised to see Mark Wahlberg receiving the top honors at the next Academy Awards, as an actor and producer. He certainly deserves it. Bravo!

After Rocky, Raging Bull, Ali, Million Dollar Baby, Cinderella man, and many others, one begins to wonder how many more boxing movies we really need in the world, and what a new one can bring to the table. Indeed, watching The Fighter, one can't help but wonder what the film can do to renew the genre and bring something new to the table. Unfortunately, the answer is "nothing much". The script is a pretty conventional rags-to-riches story, whose most interesting element is the relationship between Micky Ward and his brother, Dickie Eklund. Luckily, Russell and company recognized that this was the strongest aspect of what is otherwise a good but ordinary and somewhat flawed script, with some problems with flat characterizations and unnatural-sounding dialogue. However, everyone involved in the film tries their best to transcend the script, and for the most part, they succeed.

Russell's direction is absolutely fantastic. His use of the camera – which still has that indie looseness, free-moving and hand-held and gritty quality to it, which really adds to the atmosphere and energy the film tries to capture. His staging of scenes is fantastic and he usually just lets his actors riff off of one another, sometimes sticking to the script but sometimes talking over one another, interrupting, and creating a very dynamic back-and- forth that further lends to the realistic quality of the film and its setting. A fantastic rock- oriented soundtrack only adds to this energy and atmosphere. In terms of bringing something new to the table of boxing movies, Russell employs a very interesting technique of filming the boxing scenes as they were shown on HBO pay-per-view TV in the 90's; cheap video quality, multi-camera set-ups, the whole package. The boxing scenes were all shot over 3 days, which left the crew just enough time to run through one boxing match at a time and just shooting it as if it were an actual match, the cameras capturing everything, including mistakes and mess-ups and spontaneous, uncontrolled occurrences which yet again add to the very loose and realistic style the film attempts to capture. It is a very interesting and unique technique I have not seen used before, and I thought it was a fresh approach to boxing scenes, which have become very conventional ever since Raging Bull.

Ultimately, though, this is a movie about two brothers and their overcoming demons and obstacles in order to succeed and reach their mutual goal, together. Being a character-based film, the success of the acting is a key to the success of the film, and luckily, it is in this field that the film succeeds the most. Mark Wahlberg is adequate in the lead role of Micky Ward. I have never thought much of him as an actor and think that he did an "okay" job on this film; not bad but not particularly noteworthy. However, his supporting cast all shine, and his chemistry with them, especially with Christian Bale, is really what sells the movie for me. Bale's achievement is nothing short of revolutionary. He completely steals the show as Micky's crack-addicted older brother and trainer, a former boxer himself, and a shadow of his old self, except he can still throw one hell of a punch and knows just what Micky needs to do in order to succeed. Bale completely embodies the role and really gives it his all – both in his appearance (hollow cheeks, bulgy eyes, balding) but also in his bravura performance. It is an incredible feat of acting, one of the best I have seen all year; Bale's best work as an actor yet, and totally deserving of all the accolades it will inevitably receive. Also worth mentioning though are the two main female supporting roles, namely Amy Adams as the tough and sassy but supportive girlfriend, and Melissa Leo as the overbearing mother. Both actresses are very much out of their comfort zone, which is just what makes their performances so good. Adams, who has never really shown her tough side like she does in this film, does a spectacular job, and really creates someone human and relatable out of what is otherwise an underwritten character. The same goes for Melissa Leo: her character could have gone the completely one-dimensional villainous way, but Leo adds a certain humanity to the character which just makes her seem more sad than vicious.

Ultimately, The Fighter tells a pretty conventional story in an interesting and not necessarily conventional way. It is a film that could have been over-dramatized and heavy-handed had it been put in another director's hands (see Cinderella Man for an example of over- dramatization), but Russell and his cast reign it in and set out to create a very specific atmosphere and set a particular mood that lends the film a sense of realism and a very unique dynamic energy that, with the help of the fantastic performances from the cast, help carry it above and beyond its conventional script.

When it comes to winning awards, boxing films seem to always be contenders; as such, the thought of watching "another boxing film" can be off-putting. But "The Fighter" hangs in and fends off those labels, earning every bit of its critical praise. That's because most of the fighting in this film takes place out of the ring; "Irish" Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) spars with the troublesome brother who trains him and his mother who manages him and these superb supporting characters have their own challengers to overcome.

David O. Russell brings a needed dose of realism to the boxing genre, downplaying the underdog nature of Micky's true story and focusing on the relationships that push him through and hold him back all throughout his journey toward the welterweight title. Much of the time, in fact, the story feels equally Micky's and his brother's. Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale), as beat over our heads early in the film, went ten rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard and knocked him down, becoming the pride of small working-class town Lowell, Mass. — which as one might imagine, wasn't hard.

But Dickie, an off-kilter, fun-loving yet irresponsible guy (a transformative performance from Bale to say the least), spends the time he's not training Micky in crack houses. In fact, he's completely oblivious to the fact that HBO is following him around for their documentary on crack abuse, not one about his "comeback." It's clear that his behavior is keeping Micky, whose had a string of bad losses of late, down. After an embarrassing fight in which Micky was mismatched, Micky suddenly finds himself wondering whether he should keep his boxing career and family separate.

The idea of it irritates Micky's mother Alice, played by Melissa Leo, who impressively embodies every controlling mother. Alice sits in her house most days and smokes cigarettes while her seven grown daughters pathetically vie for her attention. Leo keeps Alice from being an aggravating total monster, providing a more complete picture of a mother whose blurred the line between business and family.

Amy Adams also excels in her supporting role, a bartender and college dropout, but one who — like the audience — sees how Micky's family has kept him back and as his girlfriend pushes him toward the right path. Interestingly, as she grows more invested in Micky's career, the script divides her from the audience, which gives her performance more weight.

Russell's characters have a harsh reality to them, much like the Boston-based characters in Ben Affleck's films "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town." In addition to looks, clothes and mannerisms, Russell chooses a more hand-held documentary feel for the film like Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" and even opts to film parts of the boxing sequences with lenses like the ones used in the late '90s to give the feel of watching a live broadcast.

The fights, though effective, remain secondary to the other "fighting." Watching Dickie spiral downward and come back up again, Alice have trouble letting go and Micky struggle to speak up for himself and recognize what he truly needs serves as the more compelling conflict. All together, they give "The Fighter" the best ensemble cast of 2010. And like all great boxing films, all these tensions blow in and out make their way symbolically into the boxing ring for that final fight. As Dickie urges on his brother in the waning rounds of the championship fight, he captures it perfectly when he says "everything that's happened, take that out there with you."

The emotional moments of "The Fighter" do lack a real knockout and many intimate moments are tempered with humor in awkward but not scene-ruining ways, but rather than be a heavyweight drama that rides the underdog story for two hours, "The Fighter" opts to be something a bit more natural by fixing on the right things: the people and the personal relationships that hurt or harm us, are all essential to our success.

~Steven C

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"O the joy of the strong-brawn'd fighter, towering in the arena in perfect condition, conscious of power, thirsting to meet his opponent." Walt Whitman

Mark Wahlberg has achieved a career high with The Fighter, not so much for his acting, which is eclipsed by a supportive cast that would be hard to beat in the Oscar race, but because he fought for years to bring the story of Lowell, Mass. to the screen. He caught perfectly the blue-collar town's karma and their devotion to the fighting brothers, "Irish" Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale).

Director David O. Russell has assembled this cast around the idea that a town in the shadow of Boston can become world famous as its sons become winners in the ring. But then, Stallone did more for Philadelphia as Rocky, so what's the big deal? Like Ben Affleck's excellent thriller this year about Boston in The Town, Fighter captures place and struggle in equal dramatic measure as filmmakers take a close look at the working class's struggles over the last 30 years. While Million Dollar Baby (2004) focused on trainer and fighter and Cinderella Man (2005) gave a microscopic view of a troubled fighter and his small family, The Fighter does all of that with a vigor as exhausting as a bout itself.

The Fighter is not just about boxing because as in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980), it's all about people who find in the sport a way to transcend their social prison. In The Fighter, it is more even about family, which weighs heavily on Micky's success or failure. And outside family as well, for girlfriend, bartender Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), is a formidable force in liberating Micky from the suffocating family (his five harpy sisters and domineering manager mother, Melissa Leo, fearsome in her cigarette smoke and driving vision for her sons). Unlike other boxing films, Fighter is patient with Micky's long climb to success, almost painfully long but rewarding in the reality of its prolonged struggle.

But it's also the acting that distinguishes it: Christian Bale as Dicky transforms himself again by losing weight and morphing into a manic brother who loves Micky despite Dicky's negative life of drugs and mania; Amy Adams is believable as the gritty but beautiful girl friend; and Melissa Leo plays mom like a lady Macbeth in tight Dockers.

Although there will be heavier films competing for 2010's Oscar, I can't think of another whose cast so eloquently has caught the poverty and riches of a town caught in boxing fever.

Such a fully satisfying film is a rarity. A story of family, struggle, and love told with great humor, intelligence and heart. I've already seen it twice and am telling everyone I meet to be sure to catch it. I was blown away by Amy Adams' touching performance in JUNE BUG and by the raw beauty of Melissa Leo's work in FROZEN RIVER, but have been slow to distinguish among the crop of young male stars and directors who deserve to be household names. Christian BALE, MARK WAHLBERG, and David O. RUSSELL are names now branded in my consciousness. This season I've been stunned by the creative forces at work in films including SOCIAL NETWORK and JACK GOES BOATING, but for its overall achievement, this amazing film based on the true story of two boxers from Lowell, Massachusetts earns a championship. It is much more than just a fight film or a biopic though it certainly sweeps us into the drama of the boxing ring and quivers with the diamond gleam of truth. Bale's finely etched creation of Dicky and Wahlberg's extraordinary dual turn as producer and star in the role of Dicky's brother Micky should place both men front and center for Oscar nominations along with Russell who shaped the film with a keen sensitivity. Russel's team of artists including cinematographer, costume and sound design were all spot on in their respective contributions. Tho Leo and her gaggle of daughters struck me at first as verging on caricature, I quickly saw that they perfectly captured the family culture while providing a delicious comic motif.

This is the film that David O'Russell and the cast and crew have outdone themselves on. the best way to say it is WIcked outstanding. It not only told the story of "Irish" Micky Ward, Dickie Eklund and the family aspect but was a credit to the real internal and external struggle of never giving up. "the fighter " does proper justice to the hardworking ways and the People of Mass and Boston areas.

In this film , the title has a double meaning as not only being a fighter as a boxer but speaks to many that in regular life that being "The Fighter" success can happen if you put the work in. The story does have strong female leads in this film that has never been shown in previous boxing based films. It is a cross over to both worlds ( male and female, Young and Old) and those that would usually skip a Boxing based film as it is much more then just that.

I was at screening of "The Fighter" in the Beverly Hills theater with Director David O'Russell and main Cast ( Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams ,Melissa Leo) The Director and cast show their love and passion for this film and how hard they all worked to make this possible in their very warm words and replies to the questions from the audience. In all , a class group of fine professionals and actors put their heart and soul into this one and I hope their efforts are well rewarded when it comes time to nominate and vote for Oscars.

This a great American family drama movie. Shows the ups and downs of a big crazy family with 2 boxers in the family. The big ''legend'' Bale and his young brother Wahlberg. This story is about how the younger brother who looks up to his crack addicted older ''legend' brother for guidance and advice, has to turn away from him and his toxic family to succeed in his boxing career.

It shows the struggles of a young fighter as he attempts to turn his life around after always living in the shadows of his brother. How he faces dilemma's when confronted with his family and newfound love interest (amy adams) about what is good for his career.

Walhberg does a good job with his role but the supporting cast take the cake. Bale, Melissa Leo and Adams all acted incredibly and are worthy of the awards. This just shows how well acted this whole film is.

Wow, what a movie. It's an inspirational true story of a boxer finally getting his break. It's also a story of addiction, and how it can affect loved ones. And above all, it's about family. There are some great boxing scenes in THE FIGHTER, they feel authentic and brutal, but the true fight is really outside the ring. Which is not to say this is an overbearing melodrama, no, far from it. It handles the subject matter gracefully. It has a lot of heart and can be quite funny, and there are some humorously absurd moments, something director David O. Russell has proved to be very good at providing.

Mark Wahlberg gives a great performance playing the lead character, Micky. This is Wahlberg's most reserved and complex role to date. Micky has an unbreakable devotion to his family, which both strengthens and cripples him. He never really speaks for himself, and would rather suffer than upset those around him. Through the course of the movie the character really grows, thanks to the help of a good woman by his side. Mark Wahlberg shows a side of himself we've never seen before, this isn't the over-the-top badass THE DEPARTED Wahlberg, which don't get me wrong, is awesome too, but he finds a different range here. Truly the guy has come a long way from The Funky Bunch.

Christian Bale is absolutely phenomenal in his scene-stealing role as Micky's drug-addicted brother. This is such a great character that Bale really brings a lot of depth to. Dicky's easily angered, often detached and oblivious to how his affliction is affecting his life. He's also ashamed and vulnerable. He's not the most reliable guy in the world and he's in need of a serious wake-up call. But the thing is...you can completely understand why Micky would stand by him for so long. Underneath it all, he really is a great guy, full of energy and affection- somebody you'd really want in your corner. This is sure to go down as one of Bale's most remembered roles, and hopefully his enormous talent will finally be recognized by winning an Academy Award for it.

Behind every great man is a great woman, and Amy Adams also delivers a fantastic performance as Micky's girlfriend, who really helps him develop some backbone and at the same time is able to find some clarity in her misguided life. She's great in her role, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't thoroughly enjoy the eye-candy she brings to the movie. She has her fair share of revealing outfits and in one scene is shown wearing a see-through bra. Now THAT'S great filmmaking!

Also notable, just because it stood out to me, is that Conan O'Brien's sister, Kate, has a role in the movie, playing one of Micky's sisters. I sort of wish I wasn't privy to this information before seeing it because her resemblance to the goofy talk show host is uncanny...and a little disturbing.

I don't know why a lot of the most involving sports movies happen to be about boxing, I guess there's just something so primal and against all logic about people that get the crap beaten out of them for a living. It's worth knowing what makes these people tick. Yes, this is based on a true story, but I'm sure it's been tailored to fit Hollywood needs. Events have likely been rearranged and certain moments probably fabricated or altered, but THE FIGHTER doesn't attempt to portray the family shown here in a completely positive light. Nobody is a saint here, and everyone has their faults. When it finally arrives at its conclusion it is relieving, satisfying, and yes, inspiring. This is ultimately a happy story well deserving to be told on film but the sad reality is that there are no doubt hundreds and hundreds of similar stories that didn't end up quite as well. I can't tell you what exactly makes the family depicted in this movie so special. Maybe they're stronger, and more willing to compromise, and just maybe a little lucky, too. But I was left recalling a scene from the movie THE STRAIGHT STORY, where Richard Farnsworth lays down some wisdom upon a teenage runaway: he told her how he would give each of his kids a stick and ask them to snap them, which was easy. Then he'd give them a whole bundle, which couldn't be broken. "That's family."

A documentary crew is following Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) and his half-brother Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg). Dicky is a crack-addicted shadow of himself still living off of his fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. Micky is a punching bag for better fighters on their way up. He's trained by Dicky and managed by their mother Alice Ward (Melissa Leo). Micky is taken by bartender Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams). When Micky's opponent drops out, he's paired with a fighter with 20 lbs on him. Micky is resistant but Alice and Dicky pushes him into the fight.

Christian Bale delivers an incredible performance that is matched by the great Melissa Leo. Both deservedly win their Oscars. The family dysfunction is crazy compelling. Amy Adams is also great. Wahlberg is a bit stiff but that's probably due to the amazing acting happening all around him. The movie is surprisingly funny. When the girls rush over to Charlene's house, girl fight and hilarity ensues. The only limiting thing are the boxing sequences. They're not the best but that's not the focus of the movie.

Look, i like the film, I think it's awesome but I also think were the characters were played by less effective actors, this wouldn't be as awesome as it is. The biggest fault for me, is that the main character has less personality than most sports characters in sport films. Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) has a crackhead brother, former boxing great played flawlessly by Christian Bale, and he has manager-mom played by brilliant Melissa Leo. Mark Wahlberg has range, he is a good actor, but Mickey just fell flat for me. I wasn't invested much in Mickey so when the boxing matches came on, I didn't care much. But the performances by the backup cast are fantastic. If anything, that's worth the concession price.

As any movie of this type has to do, it finally draws you into the protagonist's situation and gets you rooting for him. In this case the protagonist is real-life boxer Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) who has to overcome big odds - not the least of which is an extremely dysfunctional family headed up by his controlling mother Alice (Melissa Leo) and his drug addict brother Dicky (Christian Bale) who used to be a boxer and who's claim to fame was knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard (or did Sugar Ray slip?) and who now wants to live his dream through his brother. I appreciated the fact that Sugar Ray appeared as himself in a couple of brief scenes. By the time Mickey gets his title shot you are rooting for him, and you do admire his strength in overcoming the challenges he's faced. The actual title shot, mind you, struck me as a bit anti- climactic to be honest. It was pretty quickly portrayed and frankly the whole thing ultimately left me a bit empty, although I was satisfied to see Mickey become the champ.

For three-quarters of the movie, though, the focus is really on the dysfunctional family relationship, and the challenge presented to that relationship by the sudden appearance of Charlene (Amy Adams) - a local bartender and college dropout who hooks up with Mickey and pushes him to escape his family's controlling influence. This was a good performance from Adams. I found her the most interesting of the cast, because she was playing a character very different from the usual cute and sweet roles I've seen her in, and so she demonstrated a versatility I hadn't seen from her before. Wahlberg and Bale were all right, but I didn't find anything especially noteworthy about their performances.

In the end, the biggest weakness of this movie was that it really failed to draw me in until the title fight (and to an extent the fight that led up to the title fight.) I was bored frankly by the family, who struck me as a sort of Massachussetts version of "white trash" and who weren't really all that interesting. I can't imagine growing up with those sisters. Mickey deserves credit just for not punching any of them out. This really didn't do a great deal for me. It offers about half an hour that really intensely interested me, which fizzled out in a truly too abrupt ending and focused mostly on an unappealing family.

Do we have a lot of sport films where the underdog ends up winning and overcoming many obstacles along the way until the end? Definitely. Does The Fighter succeed? Very much so...

For a film like this it is very difficult to make it completely unpredictable, yet while The Fighter is in a way conventional, it is also unpredictable many times. It has great characters to boot, but also a strong cast that is willing to give it their all. This is the best ensemble cast of the year,, many amazing performances. First, I start off with Mark Wahlberg, who has been the most under the radar, but he is definitely up for this. He is a great lead and I am surprised he was as good as he was. I am also very pleasantly surprised by Amy Adams. Not to say she is a bad actress, but I was always used to her roles all being similar and now she is in a completely different role for her, and to say she succeeds is an understatement. She is excellent, and is only made strong when sharing the screen with any other actor. Melissa Leo is also great, and I think she is on par with Adams. The difference between Adams and Leo is that Leo has the more award-baity role. Now we have Christian Bale, who I do think is the best. I have seen his performances and while he has always been good, he has never truly risen above others in his films, here he does. He is excellent, and he as of now deserves that Oscar.

David Russel's direction is part of what makes this film so great, He soars scenes to unbelievable heights and I think that the screenplay in another director's hands would have came out with a merely good film. But here, we have an excellent film, perhaps better than 2008's The Wrestler, and one of the best films of the year.

Bale gives a phenomenal performance that captivates the viewer and connects them deeply within the story as it unfolds and success is finally reached.

I just watched the movie for the second time and I had a blast again, I didn't get bored at all. I think the director's contribution in this regard is huge; filming the movie with images specific to that era to reflect the boxing matches of the time made the film much more original, truly commendable.

Another aspect is the acting. Everyone is really above average, but there is one name that is amazing - Christian Bale. He truly deserved the Oscar with an extraordinary performance, he is a great actor.

I know there are some shortcomings in reflecting the truth in the film, as far as I know, but even if some details are overlooked, the film is so enjoyable that it makes you forget all of them. This is the main reason why I give it an 8/10 rating.

This film could have been shot in a more dramatic way, telling more about the family's inner structure; maybe it would have been a much better movie, but it could never have been made as entertaining as it is now. Everything in a sports movie is there, it is a perfect evening movie, and a good recommendation.

While watching the movie, you won't realize how time passes, I don't think you'll be doing anything else for a moment. David O. Russell did a great job technically, and I congratulate him on that, the screenplay is also quite normal and good. Watch it without thinking.

First off, Bale's performance is phenomenal.

It makes this movie rewatchable, but not in the regular rotation - because it's basically a movie about a bunch of white trash; and how interesting can that really be? Lol It's one I'll definitely watch every few years, because it's good - but not something I'd watch once a year, or throw on for background noise, while doing something else.

It's maybe the firmest 7 I've ever given.

Wahlberg is always just Wahlberg, you either like him or you don't.

I like him, so I don't mind it when they cast him.

But know what you're getting into.

You're just watching it for Bale's performance.

The people they play are all entirely unlikable, outside of Wahlberg and his girlfriend.

I like the bit where he makes fun of the policeman

On the rise to fame and success, a young boxer must decide whether to continue training with his family or seek professional training and management elsewhere in this sports drama based on true events. Mark Wahlberg is solid as the conflicted boxer in question and Amy Adams does well cast-against-type as his foul-mouthed bartender girlfriend, but is Christian Bale who steals every scene he is in as Wahlberg's older brother. A former boxing legend himself, Bale has delusions of grandeur and believes that the TV crew who have recently arrived to film him are making a documentary about his long awaited comeback when in reality they are making a film about his descent into heroine addiction. The overall film fascinatingly follows this structure too, opening with a lot of focus on Bale, only for Wahlberg to be eventually revealed as the true star (what a great metaphor for Bale's character coming to realise that not everything is about him). Melissa Leo also gets quite a bit of screen time as the brothers' overbearing mother, however, the rest of the family are disappointingly barely fleshed out all, including Jack McGee as Wahlberg's father, who could have been quite interesting given that he actually sides with Adams about his son's career. As for the sisters, they are all interchangeable stereotypes. This is, however, principally a film about the brothers and their every interaction is compelling. The end credits are also worth watching here for appearances by the brothers whose lives the film was based on - Dicky and Micky Ward.

"The Fighter," which is the Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg) story, is about an underdog fighter from the poor town of Lowell, Massachusetts. He came from a toxic family which hindered him from realizing his fullest potential. When he finally broke free of the clutches of his mother Alice (Melissa Leo) and brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) he was finally able to excel as a boxer.

In the grand scheme of things Micky Ward's climb to boxing fame wasn't very unique, and honestly, if you don't follow boxing you wouldn't know who Micky Ward was. The only reason I know him is from his epic fights with Arturo Gotti, not from him winning a title belt. Micky came from humble beginnings with somewhat of a tough life, but what boxer hasn't? I can throw a dart and hit an acclaimed boxer who grew up having it tough. I love sports movies, especially the underdog stories, but this one just annoyed me. To be clearer, the characters in this movie annoyed me, not Micky Ward's story.

The best part of this movie was Christian Bale. His character, Dicky Eklund, was a wreck, but Christian Bale played him to perfection. Mark Wahlberg pretty much played himself whereas Christian Bale played a crack addicted, New England ex-boxer whose claim to fame was that he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard. Bale couldn't bail out the movie, but he certainly made it more bearable.

Does David O. Russell's 'The Fighter' follow the formula of underdog surpassing all obstacles and winning in the end (as is the case with this genre)? The answer is yes but 'The Fighter' still manages to maintain a unique quality. First of all, the four principle characters: Micky, Dicky, Charlene and Alice are unlike anyone one has seen in this kind of film.

They are wonderfully defined and the actors who portray them are cast against type and turn in their finest performance. Both Melissa Leo and Amy Adams are like you've never seen them before and they appear very natural on screen. Mark Wahlberg is superly restrained and Christian Bale does one of his best works of his entire career. They are supported by a host of impressive actors.

In addition to the marvelous performances, the makeup department has done a remarkable job, especially by making Leo look old enough to play Bale and Wahlberg's mother. Bale actually does look years older than Wahlberg (when in reality he's a year younger) and that just adds more to the authenticity.

From the opening sequence, I was under the impression that 'The Fighter' was going to be a documentary-type movie but O. Russell tricks and surprises the audience with that. His execution is subtle unlike the loud approach which other directors commonly follow.

For me 'The Fighter', is more about the human connection than the sports itself. Boxing is clearly a metaphor as is the title which has multiple meanings. Even though he's been constantly let down by his family, Micky chose to give them a second chance and have them by his side. Even though Charlene disapproves Alice and Dicky's involvement in Micky's career, Dicky attempts to persuade her because he knows that Micky won't stand a chance without her by his side. Even though Alice and Charlene don't see eye to eye, there's a silent acceptance between them as they know that Micky needs them both.

I am really beginning to have more respect for Mark Wahlberg for producing gems like this (in addition to some amazing TV-series like 'In Treatment', 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Entourage') and his growth as an actor is obviously apparent (he just needs to avoid tripe like 'The Happening' at all costs).

'The Fighter' is a winner on various levels.

Christian Bale is simply phenomenal. Fantastic movie even if you're not a boxing fan and if you are a boxing fan it's even better.... watch this movie.