THE FIGHTER

The Fighter stars Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Directed by David O. Russell. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 54 mins.

The Fighter is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his unlikely path to become world lightweight champion. Bale plays Dicky Eklund, Micky's half-brother and a talented fighter who once went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in a title fight but then turned to crime and landed in prison. Then he turned his life around and helped his underperforming brother find the spark for a remarkable run that led to the world title.

The Fighter is less about boxing and more about family and the problems families may encounter. Micky is a 30 year old boxer whose brother is his trainer and his mother is his manager. His family is a little crazy but they do love Micky and do what they think is best for him. Unfortunately his brother Dicky who was once a boxer himself is now addicted to crack cocaine. Obviously something must change to get Micky to the top of the boxing world because as of right now he keeps getting his butt kicked or winning meaningless fights. Everything changes when he meets Charlene played by Adams. She believes that his family is the problem and that he should train with someone else. Of course this creates problems with his family. But it turns out that Micky needs his family and Charlene to get to the top.

Christian Bale absolutely deserves the best supporting actor award. He literally transforms into a crack addict and you forget that it is an actor. He is very good. Melissa Leo also stands out as Micky's crazy but loving mother. I can't really describe her performance except to say that she is excellent. If you see it then you will know what I mean. The boxing scenes are very realistic and when they are on it looks like you are watching it on TV. There is some meaty family drama in this film and it is intense and exciting.

While not at the level of Rocky, The Fighter is a good film and deserves some big award recognition.

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