Movie Review Rewind: The Fighter (2010)

Brandon Vick flips the calendar back to 2010 for a look at Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter on this edition of Movie Review Rewind.

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The story of The Fighter may resemble another boxing film by the name of Rocky – a guy who came from the streets and overcame all odds to become champion. It is that familiar underdog story we all know and root for. But The Fighter is not just a sports film. It is not just a boxing film. It is a film about family and the struggles within it. There are several complex relationships in this film, and they all play an important part in the shaping of “Irish” Micky Ward and the man he became.

Based on a true story, “Irish” Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts and was a good boxer. But he lived in his brother’s shadow, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), who was a great young boxer and knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard once (or maybe he just tripped). Unfortunately, Dicky began getting into trouble and getting heavily into drugs. Not only was Dicky Micky’s brother, he was his trainer, when he could show up on time. The film depicts their lives and their place in the family along with their ups and downs in their career and personal lives.

The Fighter begins with a documentary being done on Dicky. Supposedly, it is about his comeback to boxing. In reality, it is about his addiction to crack called High On Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell, which aired on HBO in 1995. While Dicky is getting high, Micky is boxing but is on a losing streak. After one fight during which he takes on a guy 20 pounds heavier than him and almost gets killed, Micky leaves the sport of boxing.

During his time away, he begins to have a relationship with a bartender named Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams). She is tough as nails and has no problem voicing her opinion. She convinces Micky to start boxing again but under new management. Dicky can’t train him and his mom (Melissa Leo) cannot be his manager anymore. Soon, Micky is winning and ends up becoming next in line for a shot at the World Light Welterweight title. We know he wins the title, but the real drama is about Micky’s family, especially his brother, and how dysfunctional his family is and how disconnected he seems to be with the rest of them. Is there hope for this broken family to be put back together again?

Bale is brilliant as Dicky Eklund. It is the performance of the film. His transformation is unbelievable and the role of Dicky was meant for him. Dicky is full of charisma even when he should not be. He is a proud guy who lives in the past and holds on to his glory days. He was the pride and joy of the family. Everyone knew it, including Micky. He was their star and everyone ignored his drug abuse and was hoping he would bounce back any day now, but that day never came until he ends up in prison. And in there is where he comes to the realization that he is not the man he used to be. He has to let go of the past and look towards the future. That future is his brother Micky with Dicky being in his corner.

Now, to say Wahlberg wanted to do this film is an understatement. He stars in the film and is also a producer. It took him four years to get this film made and he trained for it that entire time. Wahlberg knew who Micky Ward was and respected him as a man and a boxer. So when Wahlberg becomes Ward, it just feels right. Just like Bale as Dicky, the role was for him and no one else. Micky loves his family, but once he is almost left for dead in the ring, he begins to question his mother and brother’s decisions. He wonders if they really know what is best for him. It’s the relationship between Micky and Charlene that makes him turn that corner and start becoming his own man and moving out of Dicky’s shadow.

Adams is a great actress. This we know. But her becoming Charlene is something we have not seen before. Charlene is a tough bartender who can hold her own against anyone, including the whole Ward family (his mother and Micky’s rough-talking sisters). She gives him the confidence he needs and makes him learn it is possible to accomplish things without his brother.

Something must be said for Leo who plays Alice, a mother doing the best she can. However, she does not realize the damage she is causing when it comes to her two sons. Mothers should never have a favorite child. They should love them all the same, but sometimes they have a funny way of showing it and that goes for Alice. She is just as absorbed and distracted by Dicky’s early success as he is. She never realizes the potential of her other son until it is thrown right in her face. Leo has not had such a stunning role such as this since Frozen River. She received her first nomination for Frozen River and her second one will be for The Fighter, or at least it should be.

David O. Russell (director of Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees) takes a great family drama with boxing as the backdrop and makes it rough, tough, and gritty. But still manages to leave the audience with a sense of inspiration and hope. Even when there is boxing taking place, the way Russell captures it is sensationally real and honest. I have never been a huge fan of Russell and I really don’t have a reason why. Consider me officially a fan now and the reason is for this film.

The Fighter is well-constructed and amazingly told thanks to Russell. The performances by the ladies (Leo and Adams) are strong and are just as tough as the men in this film. Then, you have the two brothers and the men who played them. Bale and Wahlberg are magnificent and perhaps have never been better. Their commitment and dedication shows in the film, and while it may have taken four years to get it made, it was well worth it. The Fighter is a good boxing film, but easily stands alone as a great, powerful film.

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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