THE FIGHTER (Alliance, 2010) D: David O. Russell, w/ Mark Wahl berg, Christian Bale. Rating: NNNNN DVD package: NNNNN Rating: NNNNN
Stellar acting, crisp filmmaking and a resonant true story make The Fighter fully absorbing from beginning to end.
Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is a boxer, trained by his brother Dicky (Christian Bale) and managed by his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo). Dicky is a hopeless crackhead Alice is non-stop obnoxious. Micky loses a lot. Should he ditch his family for better training and management? His girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams) thinks so.
All the performances are strong. You can see the real Micky and Dicky in the extras and marvel at how perfectly Wahlberg and Bale captured their mannerisms.
Bale and Leo won Oscars for their roles, but Wahlberg and Adams’s work is just as nuanced and convincing. The difference is that Dicky and Alice are outgoing personalities, while Micky and Charlene are quiet. Watching the large and small battle it out is one of The Fighter’s greater pleasures.
The making-of doc and director David O. Russell’s commentary have lots to say about acting, boxing and the real people involved.
EXTRAS Director commentary, making-of doc. Widescreen. English, French audio and subtitles.
