The Fighter Review

The Fighter is one of the heavy hitters at this year's awards season, receiving a number of Oscar nominations including Best Film and Director for David O Russell. For my money it is by far the most generic of the nominated films I've seen so far. The King's Speech is pretty safe and unlikely to offend anyone but its story is unique and interesting. Black Swan is, depending on who you talk to, deranged genius or camp hysteria. Either way it certainly isn't formulaic. True Grit is an elegant masterpiece, Inception imaginative and filled with ideas. And in the middle of it all sits The Fighter. Washed up boxer seeking one last shot, family dragging him down but he needs them at the same time... all the cliches are present and accounted for. Yet there is no denying the film has class and is well acted and directed. I think my only issue is all the awards attention the film is receiving which, in an unusually strong year, makes its by the numbers story stand out all the more.

Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, a welterweight who has never reached the boxing heights he dreamed of. Christian Bale is his brother Dicky, an ex-fighter himself who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard but who is now addicted to crack. Dicky is Mickey's trainer, when he rememebrs to turn up, and his terrifying Mother (an excellent Melissa Leo) acts as his manager. They are, of course, completely mismanaging him, as evidenced early on when Mickey is coerced into a disasterous fight proper management would never have let him be a part of. Mickey's girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) urges him to ditch the family but, as the film progresses, it becomes possible that Mickey needs his family, in particular his wayward brother, more than anyone realises.

There really isn't a huge amount to say about The Fighter. It does what it does and does it very well. Christian Bale is pretty much guaranteed his Oscar this year and, in truth, there is little denying it to him. He completely sells his addiction in every scene, the way he clings to his one moment of glory is sad without ever becoming pathetic or cloying and what's great about the performance is the way Bale manages to present Dicky as basically a good guy without ever shying away from the fact that he is a total screw up. When we first meet him he has a film crew following him apparently to chart his return to boxing. The reveal of what the film is actually about, as well as the way it pays off, is genuinely affecting. Bale demands your attention whenever he is onscreen and, in truth, I wonder if most of the success of the film isn't due to his performance, the best he has been in a very long time. Wahlberg is Wahlberg and doesn't derail the film, finding a quiet centre in the maelstrom that surrounds him. I was concerned early on that Amy Adams, an actress I really like, was miscast. But after a slightly shaky start she settles into her role as the tough talking bar worker who has Mickey's best interests at heart. The scenes with the rest of the family, his ferocious Mother and gaggle of frightening sisters, were somewhat cartoonish for me. I felt them over the top and ultimately didn't really believe them. What I did like though was the way the family was the film's focus. There is actually very little boxing in The Fighter (but in a nice directorial touch what fights there are O Russell films as if they're TV broadcasts) and this is to its credit as it really did make me care about the relationship between the two brothers.

I'm actually warming to the film as I type this. I was never bored, there are many genuinely funny moments and Christian Bale is standout. It's just that I'd seen it all before so many times, I found it difficult to get really enthused about the film's strengths. In that respect, it reminded me of The Town, fantastically made but way too familiar. I should say though that The Fighter is considerably better. Ultimately there is much to enjoy in the film. Just don't expect any surprises.

6.5/10