The Fighter - a film review

The Fighter – a film review

Cast: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo

(I would love to offer you a review of a film that I absolutely despised and one that I could tear to shreds with a crescendo of abusive and vile criticism but my brains’ memory compartment acts as a giant filter which catches all the garbage that I’m exposed to on a daily basis and is released in singular, torrential outbursts. In the mean time I offer this review of one of the finest boxing films I have ever seen.)

The Fighter is based on the true story of boxers 'Irish' Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund, half-brothers from a large family from Lowell, Massachusetts. From childhood on up, Dicky was the older brother who taught his younger sibling how to handle himself in the ring. Micky's probably the more talented of the two, or at least the one who went on to have a solid career as a boxer. Their relationship as boxers and brothers is put under the microscope in this absorbing, heart-wrenching underdog tale from director David O Russell.

We catch up with Dicky Eklund years after he had his last real shot at success in the ring. An HBO crew is following him around to document his comeback attempt, though only a short time later it's evident to all any chance Dicky had for a comeback is long gone. Dicky's biggest claim to fame is once knocking Sugar Ray Leonard down and he's quick to point that out, bringing it up in nearly every conversation. It had earned him the title "The Pride of Lowell," but now it's Micky's turn. He's the man of the hour, the fighter the family's resting its hopes on.

Unlike his drug-abusing, screwed up half-brother, Micky's a quiet man who lets his fists do his talking. Dicky's taken to hanging out in a squalid flop house, smoking crack and missing appointments to train his brother for an upcoming match. Micky, meanwhile, concentrates on getting into top physical shape despite all the drama surrounding his older brother. While working out to get ready, Micky also has to deal with an overbearing mother (Melissa Leo) who manages his career and seven sisters from hell who form a harpy chorus echoing everything their mother says.

Micky ultimately has to escape the clutches of his dysfunctional family and take a plunge into the unknown when he finds a new trainer just as his crack head brother is released from jail. I could relate strongly to both Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale’s characters but the highlight for me was without doubt Christian Bales performance - he is a method actor of the highest order, I bet he must have come close to complete mental breakdown in preparation for this film. Christian Bale is a complete maniac and he is my saviour.

Do you remember the scandal about Christian Bale supposedly hitting his mother? I don’t think he actually did. I believe it was a PR campaign to make people despise him just in time for this role as a crack addicted welter weight. He is the perfect scapegoat for a malfunctioned society.