Review of The Fighter (2010) by Matthew S — 28 Feb 2016

4/5. The tumultuous emergence of boxer Mickey Ward as a force to be reckoned with in the 1990's is documented with palpable urgency and heart in David O'Russell's condensed but satisfying take on his story. O'Russell adeptly presents a dual narrative of two brothers - one (Mark Wahlberg, playing Ward) who comes to prominence as a boxer after accepting the reality of the weight of his family upon his potential, the other (Christian Bale) who relinquishes the pipe dreams of his younger self and overcomes his drug addiction.

Bale just about chews the scenery but really is a joy to behold as the drug-addled man-child who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard in the ring. Wahlberg's performance is a more subtle and refined study in emotional avoidance and withdrawal, eventually exploding in the ring against his opponent in the film's climactic title fight. The fight sequences in this film were shot by the actual HBO film crew who filmed the real-life matches being broadcastat the time, and it shows. These sequences feel very real and are unhampered by the filmic bombast that ruined the fight sequences in 2016's "Creed".

"The Fighter" is an expertly paced story, populated by an excellent cast (Melissa Leo as the family matriarch is so wonderful, she could have been a John Cassavetes regular) and only occasionally feels trite. There are shades of Scorsese in some of the cinematography, which actually works well, without diminishing O'Russell's voice as director. Easily the best hollywood boxing movie since "Rocky".