The Fighter

Film: The Fighter
Director: David O Russell
Country: USA

There isn't a lot to be said about the plot of The Fighter. It's a boxing movie. A young boxer wants a title shot. He has setbacks, he has family problems, then he overcomes them and gets his title shot. It's a very performance driven movie. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale give great performances as Micky Ward and his older brother Dickey, his trainer and a crack addict who used to be a famous boxer. The main tension in the film is between his family, who want him to stay with his mother and his manager and his brother as his trainer, and his girlfriend who wants him to accept an outside contract. When his brother goes to jail the decision becomes easier and he accepts the outside contract with a professional trainer. Then later when he gets his shot at the championship, his brother gets out of jail. Micky promised his girlfriend and his new trainer that he wouldn't work with Dickey anymore, but he wants to both keep his new staff and bring Dickey back on.

The main emotional theme of the film, as with many boxing movies, his pride. Micky wants to prove he can win, that he can provide for his daughter, and be 'The pride of Lowell'. When Dickey goes to jail, HBO airs a special about crack addiction with him as the star. Micky's daughter's mother makes sure his daughter sees the special to show her "Who Dick really is, and who he really is". People in his life want to cast him as a criminal and a bum, and his only way to escape that role is to succeed at boxing.

The fights themselves are also executed very well, though the way they're narrated, perhaps strategically oversimplified. (All we're really told is 'If he hits the head, and then the body, he will win'.)

It's all very well acted, very well directed, very well written. The only plot problem is that it has pretty much the same story as other boxing movies. If that's not something you mind, you will love the film.

Style: 5
Substance: 8
Overall: 7