The Fighter

"The Fighter"
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee
Directed by: David O. Russell
USA/2010
115 minutes

Examining The Fighter up close reveals that the film isn't one thing in particular, but has the feel and unbalance of several different films. The caliber of the actors and the pure energy of their performances save the film from just being another mid-level sports film. It feels as though the boxing genre has been done to hell; The Fighter tries to come in from a different angle and floor its audience, but the full impact isn't necessarily felt throughout the film.

The true life story of  boxer Micky Ward has been a passion project for those involved in the film for several years. Actors Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale play the true life brother duo that serve as the foundation of the film and its themes of family unity and co-dependence. You won't meet a set of characters this crazy and over-the-top all year. There is Micky, (Wahlberg) a divorced father who has little interest in anything outside of boxing and his family. He comes from a blue-collar neighborhood in Lowell, Massachusetts where he and his family have lived for years. There is Dicky Eklund, played by the chameleon like actor Christian Bale, who lost a ton of weight to portray as Dicky as the crack addict he was. Dicky trains Micky, and is still living off of his one past glory of defeating Sugar Ray Leonard. There is Alice Ward, played by the reliable Melissa Leo, who reeks of 90's nostalgia with her bouffant hair due and her 7 blonde daughters from hell. Then, there is Charlene, the sexy working class outsider who tends bar and is the only known who seems to know what's best for Micky.

It's easy to tell how this story will go, but that's expected with most boxing films. O'Russell creates mood early on by making us comfortable with this small neighborhood and the people who live in it.  His musical cues, and montages of Dicky and Micky feel forced, but work at other times. This feeling of un-balanced material throughout the film is what plagues it the most. Part of the problem the film has, is that most of the actors seem to be acting as if their all in their own separate movie. The film works best when it's operating in quiet moments. After being stood up by Micky, Charlene arrives at his house unaware that he had lost a fight the previous night to a guy that outweighed him by 20 lbs. She tends to his beaten face and then finally understands who he is by an answer that he gives her. "Everybody said I could beat him," Micky says, Charlene asks who everybody is. Micky's response, "my mother and my brother."

The narrative is quite simple. Micky's quest for success as a fighter is constantly being halted by the shortcomings of his family. Dicky's drug addiction is known, but is mostly swept under the rug by Leo's character Alice. Not only does Micky have to worry about Dicky, but has to please his overbearing and annoying mother. Leo walks a fine line between playing the hell out of her character and overacting. As for Bale's portrayal of Dicky, it works for the most part, but there are several instances where it comes across as cartoonish. When the film presents emotional moments, it's hard to commit Dicky's cause for redemption. He's unlikable, but Bale is such a force that you can't help but feel for the guy. The father, George Ward, played by Jack McGee is level headed and is interested in Micky's best interest, but is usually overshadowed by Alice's plight. My favorite performance in the film comes from Charlene. Amy Adams has never played a character this thick skinned in her whole career. The character of Charlene is not only the most likable, but the one that attempts to save Micky from the bad influences of Dicky and Alice. Wahlberg is fine in his role, but at times we wish his character had the smarts to leave his family for better things.

The Fighter attains all its charm and spirit from the true events that inspired the film. If only O'Russell's script could have handled the highs and lows of Dicky and Micky with more intimacy, the film could've been something more. Take for instance the scene in which Dicky is in prison watching an HBO documentary based on his life with crack. It's easily supposed to be one of the more emotional parts of the film, but since Dicky doesn't feel completely authentic to us, the scene cannot resonate like it should. There are many parts like this, and for that I blame O'Russell for the film's messy nature.

Harping back to the idea of The Fighter feeling like 3 films stuffed into one, it's an obvious identity crisis that the film has, but we forgive in the end due to the richness of this ensemble cast. We follow Dicky's addiction and recovery, the relationship between Micky and Charlene, the tug of war between the family members and Charlene, the actual fighting, etc. I haven't seen so much raw energy in any other film this year, and that's what ultimately saves it. Bale, Leo, and Adams are all being considered for awards, and it's easy to see why.

As the film goes on, we become more comfortable with the style and the way O'Russell is telling this story. Sure, there are glaring flaws, but the most important aspect is making a film that does its true characters justice. During the credits of the film, we meet the real Micky and Dicky, and we understand a little bit more about Bale's performance from the detail of his mannerisms. In a way, The Fighter is named after Dicky, possibly named after the family unit that pushed each other to the brink of insanity over Micky's career. This is what the film is about, and we overlook its flaws to find something human that the whole cast has tapped into.

Grade: 3.5/5