The story of a low-class guy overcoming adversity and becoming a boxing sensation…sounds familiar. No, it’s not another Rocky film, it’s The Fighter, following the true story of boxer Micky Ward and his brother/trainer Dicky Eklund. David O. Russell directs the movie starring Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward, the brother of former boxer Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Ward must overcome living in his brother’s shadow and all the problems his dysfunctional family brings to the table. Also starring Melissa Leo and Amy Adams.
At first I wondered why Christian Bale won the Oscar for best supporting actor, because the first half of the film he is the main character. Bale was great at being his usual intense self, dropping lots of weight for the role. Wahlberg did not stand out well in comparison to Christian Bale, but it helped me get into the film because he really is stuck in Bale’s shadow for the majority of the movie. I still think they did a good job of making Micky Ward easy to root for as he almost the real-life version of Rocky.
Mickey O’Keefe was the trainer of Micky Ward, but the coolest thing about the film was that they were able to convince the real Mickey O’Keefe to play himself in the movie, and for a first time acting job he did really well, although he was playing himself. I thought it was pretty slow paced and the fights didn’t last long, but you really don’t want them to because according to the movie Ward’s fighting style was even worse than Rocky’s, which is just let the other guy beat the crap out of you until he’s tired and you can hit him. Another problem with the story is that it feels like you watching two different movies, one about Micky Ward’s boxing career and one about Dicky Eklund’s drug addiction.
Overall, I liked the movie, but the biggest thing that caught my eye was that the ending fight was almost identical to fight from Rocky 4 (minus that ridiculous “Let’s get along” speech Rocky gives to the Soviets) and it just doesn’t have that inspirational feel to it that you hope it would. I still liked it and it’s worth checking out for Christian Bale’s incredible window escapes that put Batman to shame.
This was a fair review. You’ve analyzed the film and come to your own conclusions without jumping on a bandwagon of hype. I agree with almost everything you said about the film. I know that more avid fans of the film will probably disagree with you, but I think with this film, the difference between liking it and loving it is really a matter of personal opinion and one’s tastes.
I think your review is way off base when you try to compare “The Fighter” to any one of the 6 “Rocky” pictures. “The Fighter” had an uplifting and inspirational ending because is is true. “Irish” Mickey Ward actually won the welterweight championship both in spite of his dysfunctional family and because of his dysfunctional family. All 6 “Rocky” movies had uplifting and inspirational endings, because that is how Sylvester Stallone wrote the scripts. You also did not give enough credit to Melissa Leo. Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams were great, but their roles were not as demanding. However, without the outstanding performances of both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, who portayed as dysfunctional a half brother and mother as have ever been portrayed in Hollywood, the world would not have been as inspired by Mickey’s magnificent victory. The ending was uplifting and inspirational. It was not “Rocky VII.”
I thought Melissa Leo and Amy Adams were great, but I can’t focus on Mark Wahlberg at all. He played the main character, but he was basically a side character, which makes it hard to root for a guy that really isn’t as important to the story as he should be. I felt this movie was more about Dicky Ecklund’s drug addiction than Micky Ward’s boxing career. Also it’s hard not compare every boxing film to Rocky, because Rocky was basically the first one, you can’t discount it because it’s not a true story. Try and watch the ending fights to The Fighter and Rocky 4, the similarities are endless.
What you have to remember is the fact Christian Bale had the more showy role if you like, he had the part that was meant to grab the audience’s attention and because Bale is a brilliant actor he nailed it. But Wahlberg did a fantastic job, he is the lead actor in the film but he delivered a quietly affecting, understated performance that allowed the supporting actor to shine.
The final fight in Rocky 4 is a pure cheese fest and that was how it was meant to be because it is essentially a battle between two action heroes, Stallone Vs Lundgren. It is a ridiculously over-the-top boxing match that had no realism at all but then again they clearly were not aiming for that. The final match-up in The Fighter however is honest and uplifting.