AFI Film Review: David O' Russell's THE FIGHTER
Last night the AFI Film Fest held a secret screening for what turned out to be the World Premiere of David O. Russell’s The Fighter in Hollywood, CA. I was lucky enough to be in attendance to watch the film that stars Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Wahlberg, who serves as the producer and star of the film, came up and introduced it to the audience, and legendary actor Robert Duvall came in and sat down right behind us to watch the film as well. I never thought I would ever be in the same theater as Robert Duvall watching a movie, so that was very cool.
I’ve really been looking forward to seeing this film that’s been in development for several years already. Finally it’s here, and it was well worth the wait! This movie was awesomely fantastic, and it’s got everything a movie needs to be a serious Oscar contender.
The Fighter is based on the true story of Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his rise to becoming a championship boxer. The film mostly focuses on the relationship between Micky, his family, and his older brother Dickie Eklund (Bale) who is a former boxer, and how throughout all of the years of being under their management, they were holding him back from being everything he was meant to be. It’s not until he meets Charlene (Adams) that he finds the courage and guts to do what it takes to win.
This is a great sports film, and one of the best movies built around boxing that I’ve seen. Even though the film revolves around the sport of boxing, it’s only just a backdrop of a much bigger issue that deals with Micky’s family, which is the most powerful aspect of the film. Seeing the relationship between Micky and his family unfold on the screen is uncomfortably gut wrenching. As intense as the boxing scenes were in the film were, they were nothing compared to what you see when this Micky is in action. Holy crap! There’s so much freakin’ drama whenever Micky’s mom, seven sisters, or brother show up on screen that it frustrated the hell out of me. They are just so damn selfish and ignorant! It’s this family drama and dynamic that makes the boxing aspect of the film that much more powerful and meaningful. It’s really sad seeing what Mickey had to go through, but it all ends up being an inspirational story.
Dickie’s part in the film is equally as interesting and powerful as Micky’s story. This is a guy who famously fought the legendary boxer “Sugar” Ray Leonard and knocked him down, but he ended up blowing his big shot, and flushed his boxing career down the toilet when he got hooked on smoking crack. We are shown the sad and depressing life that he leads, while an HBO documentary crew follows him around documenting his life. Dickie seems to be under the impression that the crew is following him around to document his boxing comeback, when in reality they are filming a documentary on crack addiction. He eventually ends up in jail while trying to get some cash to help his brother train. While he’s in jail, Dickie goes through the process of pulling himself out of this hell he’s been living. This has an incredibly rewarding payoff.
The script was as solid as a script can get, but it is the acting that makes these characters shine. The acting in the film was incredible! In my opinion Wahlberg gives the best performance of his career playing the lead character in the film. This was a part that fit him perfectly. Amy Adams’ performance was equally as amazing, she was wonderful as Charlene, and this role is definitely a highlight in her acting career.
As for Christian Bale, he gave a performance that just completely blew me away. He lost himself in the role of Dickie, and like most of his performances Bale just disappears in the character he’s playing. There’s no doubt in my mind he will get an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in the film, and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t win it. This is the type of character and performance that the Academy loves to reward.
David O. Russell did a fantastic job bringing this story to life, and although the film does have its weaknesses, there’s really no reason to point them out because they are overshadowed by the film's strengths.
The Fighter was a great and powerful film that had the audience clapping, cheering, laughing and crying. I loved the movie, and I highly recommend you go see it when it’s released in theaters on December 17th.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The Fighter is the inspirational, true story of these two brothers who, against all the odds, come together to train for a historic title bout that will unite their fractured family, redeem their pasts and, at last, give their hard-luck town what it's been waiting for: pride. The story unfolds on the gritty, blue-collar streets of Lowell, Mass, where Dicky was once known as "The Pride of Lowell" having gone the distance with the world champion Sugar Ray Leonard. However, after losing that fight, like the town of Lowell, Dicky's fallen on hard times. His boxing days are behind him and his life has become shattered by drug abuse. Younger brother Micky, meanwhile, has become the family's fighter and fading hope for a champion. But despite all of his work, Micky's career is failing and he loses fight after punishing fight. Dicky and Micky's tougher-than-nails mother, Alice (MELISSA LEO), manages his career and Dicky serves as his highly unreliable trainer. When Micky's latest fight nearly kills him, it looks like it could all be over - until his iron-willed new girlfriend, Charlene (AMY ADAMS), convinces him to do the unthinkable: split with his family, pursue his own interests and train without his increasingly volatile and criminal brother. Now Micky has the chance of a lifetime as he earns a shot at the World Championship. But when his brother and dysfunctional family reenter his life, they must all reconcile their pasts and become more than just a family in name. With Micky and Dicky reunited, this becomes more than just a fight - it's an all-out comeback for these brothers, their family, and their city. When it's over, Micky will have become a World Champion, a Hall of Fame legend, and the new "Pride of Lowell". The Fighter is a moving and often humorous drama about fighting for the people you love.