David O. Russell’s newest film “The Fighter” is making waves this awards season. With a solid story and even more impressive performances, “The Fighter” strikes a balance between the two kinds of boxing movies, uber-realistic “Raging Bull” tales of hardship and more hardship on one hand and triumph-of-the-underdog “Rocky” stories on the other.
“The Fighter” is the story of two brothers. “Irish” Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg, is a working-class boxer on the brink of big-time success. His older half-brother Dicky, played by Christian Bale, is a former fighter who is years past his prime and spends his days wallowing in his past near-success and hanging out in a crack house. Micky, a talented fighter, has yet to reach his true potential because of his fierce loyalty to his dysfunctional family, including Dicky and a domineering mother played by Melissa Leo.
While “The Fighter” has a good story, the film is most notable for its performances. Christian Bale plays a convincing crack addict as the wild-eyed Dicky. Bale goes beyond actor’s tricks like tics and twitches, creating a character that is both charismatic and tragically delusional.
Melissa Leo shines as Alice, the bleached-blonde, iron-fisted matriarch of the Eklund-Ward clan. Amy Adams turns in a commanding performance as Charlene, Micky’s girlfriend and his inspiration to move past his destructive family life.
The one who holds the whole picture together—but also, sadly, the one who is likely to be overlooked in favor of the flashier roles—is Mark Wahlberg as Micky, the fighter who gives the film its name. Micky is a naturally gifted boxer who can’t seem to work his way out from under his manipulative family. Wahlberg wisely underplays his part, painting Micky as a shy, beaten-down character, providing a balance to the insanity of the much more intense performances around him.
This film has grit that comes as much from the performances as the strong script. It pulls no punches (pun intended), giving each character ample time to shine in less-than-flattering light. Like us, the characters may not be perfect, but they learn from their mistakes.
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