Movie Review: The Fighter

It's December, when means awards season is right around the corner. December is the month were most of the studios release their Oscar Bait films and quite frankly, it's an exciting time of the year for film. As a film fan, it's exciting to see the award contenders to see what films are worthy of the hype and the ones that fall short. The Fighter is in the former camp and is deserving of all of the nominations it's getting.

The Fighter tells the true story of "Irish" Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Ward had struggled to breakout in his career, considered to be a stepping stone for better fighters. Ward is trained by his brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale), an ex-boxer who once fought Sugar Ray Leonard. The rest of Ward's family especially his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo) are highly involved in his boxing career. After Dickie is thrown in jail for his violent and destructive behavior due to his drug addiction, Micky decides it would be in his best intrest to move on without his mother and brother. Micky begins to achieve success and rise up the ranks of the fight ladder. Once Dickie is released from jail, Micky has to chose between continuing with his current trainer or his family which have caused problems in the past.

The Fighter delievers on all levels. This isn't just a film about boxing, it's a story about family and the issues they can cause. The acting all around is top-notch. Mark Wahlberg does a fine job as Ward. He is a charismatic, likeable underdog that you want to see succeed and reach his goals. The film is really stolen by Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Bale is scary good as Dickie Eklund. He gets so in to his character, that you seriously believe that he is a drug addict. Bale is pretty much a lock for the Best Supporting Actor, his performance is outstanding. Adams is equally effective as Ward's girlfriend, Charlene. It's such a drastic change in characters for Adams to be playing and she proves she is up to the challenge. She really took a risk playing this character and it pays off big time.

Another aspect The Fighter did a great job with was the fight scenes. The boxing sequences are brutal and highly realistic. You can feel the intensity of each punch. I really don't think I have seen another boxing film with fight scenes this good. These fight scenes are expertly done.

The Fighter is one of the absolute best films of 2010. It's expertly acted, written, deep and winning film. Bale and Adams are more than deserving of Oscars and are really a marvel to watch. They captured the sport of boxing with a biting realism. The Fighter is much more than a boxing film, it's a story of an underdog, it's a story about family and it's a story about overcoming turmoil and every obstacle imaginable to achieve your dream. The Fighter should get some recognition around Oscar time and rightfully so, it's a brilliant film.

4.5/5 Stars