The Fighter

 

101 Ways to Win an Oscar

The Films That Tick All The Boxes

(2010)

Dir: David O. Russell

 

 

Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg in a film together? What’s not to love?

Okay, you will see a LOT of love for these two actors on this blog if you read enough of it. From Bateman to Batman, and Diggler to, uh, Bob Lee Swagger respectively, I find it hard to see a performance from either of these guys that’s not entertaining. It’s really for the same reasons as well. Both Bale and Wahlberg excel at playing it both as straight as an arrow, as well as being able to lose their motherfucking minds as well. Bale even achieves the rare feat of doing both in the same film, as the same character, in the superb American Psycho.

But in The Fighter, it’s Marky Mark’s turn to play it straight, as he takes on the role of Micky Ward, the lowly boxer who’s never really amounted to anything in his life, and is considered nothing more than a “stepping stone” for other, better fighters. Bale is Ward’s brother, Dicky Eklund, another boxer, but this time very much in the former category, these days preferring to sweat it out in a crack house than a gym.

This is a sporting drama, so, of course, it’s all about trials, tribulations, and Micky overcoming the odds to get his life back on track. It’s a modern-day Rocky, shot in such a visceral, gritty way by director David O. Russell that it resembles Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler. Interestingly enough, Aronofsky has a producing credit, and was originally attached to direct before heading off to another Oscar fodder vehicle Black Swan.

The Fighter once again falls into that old trap of a lot of boxing films that, in order to appease non-boxing fans one would imagine, the actual fights themselves are about as realistic as a John Wayne flick, and actual boxing fans such as myself will find them hard to get into.

That being said, the comparison to Rocky can only mean one thing: clichés. Yes, The Fighter is about as clichéd as films get. The sterling performances of Wahlberg and Bale, as well as both Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, can’t disguise the fact that you can predict every scene, every swerve, every dip, before they happen.

It’s a shame, because the performances really are terrific. But, as with another ‘Based on True Events’ thespian’s dream released at the same time, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, the plot unfortunately lacks the same punch as its lead character.

*** ¾ / *****

 

Needs more body work.