The Fighter was a heavily hyped film when it was first released. I first heard about the film in a Sports Illustrated article that initially piqued my interest. However, the film only lasted a couple of weeks at my local theater and was gone before I had a chance to see it. When I saw the number of Oscar nominations this film received, I was disappointed I missed it. Luckily, The Fighter had an encore showing at a smaller theater nearby and I was able to finally see it on the big screen.
The Fighter recounts the true story of half-brothers Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Dicky is a former Welterweight boxer whose highlight fight was a decision loss to the famous Sugar Ray Leonard. Dicky has focused his attention on training Micky and smoking crack. His crack addiction has prompted HBO to follow him for eighteen months, documenting his addiction for a segment of America Undercover. Micky's fights seem to be on the same downward spiral as Dicky's addiction.
When Dicky is arrested and sentenced to prison, Micky takes on a new trainer and manager. His former manager is his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo). She does not take the news well. The family (which includes eight brothers and sisters) have been a part of Micky's training for years. The family try to take out their frustration on Micky's new girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams), but Micky finally digs in. With a new sparring partner and good management, Micky finally finds a path to the Championship. But not without some sage advice from his brother, who finally follows him to the top.
The fact that The Fighter is based on a true story gives it more traction. Micky is an unlikely champion for a number of reasons, but the most visible reason seems to be the cocoon of family that has trapped him. The story captures the dysfunction without turning the situation into a cartoon. The writing gave the characters an effective dynamic that gives the story credibility. The story does not completely track the real events, but hits all the major points with accuracy. It is a compelling underdog story that doesn't, well...pull any punches. The addiction and dysfunction are on full display.
There were some inconsistencies in the film that nagged at me a little bit, when maybe they shouldn't have. The Fighter takes great pains to recreate the 1980s, almost mocking the clothing, hairstyles and even the cars (like a red Chevy Cavalier). Even the soundtrack remained true to the period. With such attention to detail, I was surprised at minor issues that should not have been missed. Most of it had to do with boxing injuries, the most notable of which happened in the fight that earns Micky his title shot. After receiving numerous blows to the right side of his face during the fight, the right side of his face is bleeding. After the fight, the left side of his face is taped up and the right side completely unharmed. Little details like this just felt sloppy.
This was one of the best cast films I have seen in a while. I have seen some great films with awesome actors, but this film goes deep with strong performances. Enough that the acting earned several Oscar nominations that were well deserved. While Melissa Leo won (and probably deserved) best supporting actress for her role as Micky's mother, Christian Bale's performance stood out even more. Watching the actual characters (Micky and Dicky) at the end of the film, I was amazed out how well Bale captured the frenzied wild-eyed energy that Dicky has. His transformation to crack addict also featured incredible weight loss (but not quite as extreme as The Machinist, which was insane). I am a fan of Amy Adams and was impressed with her performance as well. Mark Wahlberg was convincing as a Welterweight boxer and looked well trained for the role. I also want to mention Jack McGee, who played George Ward. He was a stable character that helped hold the story together, even though he was not as in-your-face as the other characters. The role was well acted by McGee. <
The Fighter is rated R. A film about boxing is likely to get that type of rating. The matches are violent. The sub-plot regarding Dicky's crack addiction really gets into content issues, with depictions of drug use and prostitution. Those scenes might have been more a factor in the rating than the boxing violence. The love story between Micky and Charlene also features some sexual situations and revealing clothing, but remained rather tame to me. The language in this film is also raw, adding realism. While some material is questionable, it is all contextual. Teenagers should be able to handle anything this film has to offer.
I am glad I had the opportunity to see The Fighter on the big screen. I also believe it translates well to the small screen. Streaming doesn't lose much from the original. Between stellar performances and a compelling story, this film was worth full-price to see it at the theater. The accolades it has received were earned. The film was executed nicely, but it bothered me that some attention to detail was overlooked when so much effort was spent creating the right atmosphere for this film. The Fighter is definitely worth streaming if you can find it. 8/10.
