The Fighter tells the story of Lowell, Mass, boxer Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his rise to fame along with his relationship with half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). The audience is introduced to Ward as just a hard working guy in a tough town in Massachusetts. He's lost 3 fights in a row and is considering giving up boxing for good. His brother Eklund, a former boxer with hopes of a comeback of his own, encourages Ward to stick with it. Eklund's support proves to be a blessing and a curse.
The film stands out because of it's amazing cast and acting performances. Walhberg was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor, Bale for Supporting Actor. But it wasn't just a male dominated show. Amy Adams (Ward's girlfriend) and Melissa Leo (Ward's mom) both were deservedly nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I don't know if either of them will win, they could, but I can promise you Bale cleans up the Globes, Oscars, People's Choice, Sports Brief Picks, you name it.
Bale's depiction of Dicky Eklund is nothing short of fantastic. I have not been as impressed with a supporting character since Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight, which he starred in along side Bale. Eklund was the previous "Pride of Lowell," with his claim to fame being he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, or did he slip? Either way Eklund was a hero in the working class town of Lowell. Eklund, however, turned to drugs and was a flat mess. Bale made a character very likable despite so many destructive acts. Dicky was/is charismatic even with all his faults and Bale pulls it off with perfection.
Without a doubt Bale steals the show, but The Fighter still lives up to it's title with a number of great boxing sequences. I thought the fights in Ali, with Will Smith were pretty good, these are better, and they don't have the advantages that a Muhammad Ali film has. Unless you are a die hard boxing fan you don't know most of the guys Ward fought on his way to the top. Walhberg, a known boxing fan himself, does a great job in this scenes. I would be surprised if he wins any awards for this performance, but I do believe the nomination is justified.
I recommend this movie for everyone, clearly not just a boxing film. Family is one of the central themes as well, and the aforementioned acting in it makes it worth while for any movie buff. Also if you are one of those people who has to watch all the Academy Award nominated films, you might as well get this one out of the way now because it will surely be well represented.
Keefe's Call: 8.6/10
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