Starring: Mark Whalberg, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee, Mickey O'Keefe, Drama/Sports/Biographical. Directed by David O.Russell.
Synopsis: The true story of professional fighter Mickey Ward and his journey to the champoionship with both the help and hindrance of his drug addicted older brother, a former fighter, and his manager mother and extended family.
The first thing I'd like to say is that, in my humble opinion, The Fighter both is and is not, a sports movie. And, I mean that as a high compliment. Sure, there is nothing wrong in watching a flick about sports, hell I love sports and I love flicks so I'm with you there.
It's just that The Fighter is so much more because it taps into family and close personal relationships at so many levels. The fact that it's based on a true story, of course, makes it all the more powerful.
Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg The Departed) is a fighter who has championship aspirations but is nearing the end of the line as he is well into his 30s, not old for anything in the world except trying to win a championship belt.
He is, in a manner of speaking, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale Public Enemies),- same Mom, different Dads-who was a talented welterweight who went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard and even knocked him down (or not, maybe the great Leonard actually slipped, this is a key point of contention throughout the story).
Dicky is his trainer, Mom Alice (Melissa Leo Righteous Kill) is his manager,his six sisters are close by to cheer him on, and his Dad (Jack McGee The Man Who Wasn't There) is firmly behind him, too. On top of that, he has just met a woman (Amy Adams Doubt) and she could be the one.
Everything should be hunky-dory, right? Well, not so fast. Big bro Dicky is a crackhead who is often AWOL when it comes time to train Mickey , and manager Mom means well, but may not have the contacts or in depth knowledge necessary to land him a championship bout. And, as if that's not enough, suffice it to say that Mom and Mickey's sisters aren't the biggest fans of Mickey's new squeeze, who is also adamant about Mickey getting a new trainer (Mickey O'Keefe playing himself and doing a nice job) and a new manager if he is going to grab that brass ring.
And where is Mickey in all of this? Well, he loves his Mom, his bro, his girlfriend, Mickey O'Keefe, and everyone else. Hence, we have conflict and, as you might think, a movie.
A very good movie, made all the moreso because it is a true story. This is, if you will, a sports movie, but like all great sports movies, it is really about deeper things with sports as the backdrop. The boxing scenes are legit (with footage of the real Dicky spliced in perfectly) and those of you who are familiar with the sport can buy Walhberg as a fighter. The story is powerful and, even if you're not familiar with the real story, you will pull wholeheartedly for Mickey, but it's not as if the other characters are 'bad guys', I predict you'll like them, too.
The acting is wonderful, Bale and Leo certainly deserved the accolades they received for their performances,(Bale is solidly making his case for being a truly great actor and one of the best) but its important to note how strong I thought Wahlberg and Adams-who is really the crux of the flick-do in their roles.
Listen, this flick got a lot of hype and rightfully so. You've heard about it and most of the good things you have heard are true. Now, go see it for yourself.
