When it comes to boxing stories it seems if you’ve heard one you’ve heard them all. You start with an underdog and pull him (or her) up from their bootstraps and turn them into champions. You’re probably already listing several in your head that fit this description, all of which are likely some of your favorite films despite their narrative similarities and I’d venture to guess David O. Russell’s The Fighter is one you’ll consider adding to that list once you’ve seen it.
Written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson, The Fighter borders on the overly melodramatic but is directed and performed with such energy, enthusiasm and invention that it’s impossible not to get caught up in what it’s selling.
Centering on the true story of junior welterweight boxer “Irish” Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his half-brother, former boxer and current crack addict Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), The Fighter is cliched to be sure. Just the descriptions I’ve given so far detail the first half of the film and the fact it’s based on a true story means the ending won’t be much of a surprise either. Taking that into consideration, you’ll be amazed at just how entrenched you get in the life of Ward and those around him and the effect each and every decision will have on you.
You’ll get to know Micky’s family as if they were your own, though you’ll be happy they’re not. The head of the Ward-Eklund snake is the family matriarch, Alice (Melissa Leo), a mother that plays favorites if one ever did and Dicky is obviously hers. However, favorites or not, Micky’s boxing career has become the family business with Alice serving as manager and the ever unreliable Dicky serving as his primary trainer.
Bale’s performance is a sight to behold. Sunken eyes and skinny as a beam with arms that flap as if wet noodles, Bale commit fully to playing Dicky just as he did when he shed 60 pounds for his role in 2004’s The Machinist. The film’s opening moments show to what degree Dicky has become a detriment to Micky’s career as he strolls in three hours late for training because he was getting high with some friends reminiscing of his days as “The Pride of Lowell”. Bale commands both the aloof and diseased aspects of Dicky as well as the razor-sharp wits he has about him. It’s a performance that’s likely going to earn him his first Oscar.
It’s also obvious why Wahlberg has remained the one constant when it comes to this production, it’s a role tailor made for his talent. Actors such as Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were once attached to star as Dicky Eklund opposite Wahlberg with Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) set to direct, but as the 2007 writer’s strike saw those names fall by the wayside, Wahlberg remained.
Wahlberg’s dry sarcasm, his physique and the blue-collar nature of this character play to his strengths as an actor. As much as the film is about an underdog boxer and his drug-addicted brother, it also wholly embraces the streets of Lowell, Mass, where Ward and his brother still roam to this day and Wahlberg fits right in.
Adding to the Lowell atmosphere, Amy Adams arrives to spice up the Ward-Eklund family dynamic, or lack thereof, as Ward’s girlfriend Charlene. Referred to as the “MTV Girl” by Ward’s frazzled seven sisters, Charlene is a firecracker that doesn’t take any of what Micky’s family is dishing out. Not only does she stand up for herself, but she also stands up for Micky when he’s too afraid (or is it too caring?) to do so for himself. This is a solid turn for Adams who manages to push aside the sweet persona we’ve seen from her all-too-often and deliver a side with a bit more edge, proving she’s up to the task.
Yes, the performances are the stand out aspect of this film, but I won’t sell David O. Russell (Three Kings) short as he brought a keen eye to this production. Boxing films may prescribe to a rather typical narrative, but there are also only so many ways to shoot them and Russell and his cinematographer, Hoyte Van Hoytema (Let the Right One In), bring a fascinating authenticity to the production. Shooting the fight scenes as if they were archival material from the 1990s and offering up a slightly muted palette for the rest of the film, The Fighter almost has a documentary feel to it, which just adds to the brilliant performances giving an old narrative a certain freshness.
You can tell early on The Fighter is going to rely heavily on its characters and the film’s ability to connect the audience to them. By the time you get to the end of the film you want to be cheering for not only Ward as he takes on his latest adversary, but for his friends and family in the audience. It’s the emotion you feel for the entire group that makes it all the more powerful and as the family looks on with concern, so will you. Through the highs and lows, The Fighter has you punching right along, every step of the way.
