The Fighter

Grade : A

                                                                                

The Fighter is the real life story of "Irish Mickey Ward", a down and out, past-his-prime boxer from Lowell (suburb of Boston), Massachusetts. Though the film was a bit of an underdog story like most boxing movies are (Rocky, Cinderella Man), it is so much more than that. It dealt with everything from poverty to drug addiction, family hardship to greed. This wasn’t just an athletes' struggle with himself to achieve the ultimate; it was a battle against his upbrining, his family, his brother, his management, and his own fear of being a disappointment.  The Fighter is, in my opinion, one of the most immaculate sports dramas ever made.

The element of this movie that made it so great is its believability; it is such a REAL film.  In place of cheesy inspirational music like Eye of the Tiger is Led Zeppelin and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  In place of fake Hollywood backdrops and handmade sets are the actual povery stricken streets of outer Boston. The fighting scenes aren’t blatantly staged like in other boxing movies, they are authentic, and made me cringe just to watch them. Every aspect of this film gave it a completely unique dynamic;  the soundtrack, the screenplay, the filming/location, and obviously, the acting.

Though Mark Whalberg and Amy Adams were both tremendous, the real acting gem in this movie came from Christian Bale. Bale is typically an actor I don’t care for, but his portrayl of Dickey, Mickeys’older brother and trainer, was absolutely brilliant.  A far cry from his fleetingly handsome characters in The Dark Knight and Public Enemies, Dickey is a strung out, overzealous crack addict who is stuck in his past as a once promising boxer himself. The character is constantly in a battle with his own demons, while at the same time trying to be there for Mickey as a good brother and a good trainer.  If you at one time thought Christian Bale was a colossal douche, as I did, you’ll be his biggest fan after seeing this film.

As someone who typically doesn’t buy into inspirational sports movies, I can personally vouche for this movie.  It’s authentic, intense, exciting, humorous, and thought-provoking. I wish I had more than 2 thumbs, because “2 thumbs up” isn’t quite enough. “2 thumbs, 2 big toes, and all my fingers up” is more appropriate.