The story of the underdog boxer on the road to the championship has been told countless times dating all the way back to 1931's The Champ, starring Wallace Beery. The Fighter certainly has a lot in common with the iconic Rocky.
Both films feature blue-collar heroes, the former has Rocky Balboa from Philadelphia, the latter focuses on "Irish" Micky Ward from Lowell, MA. Rocky forged through adversity with the love of pet shop clerk, Adrian, while Ward had the feisty Charlene, played by the equally feisty Amy Adams. One of the roadblocks set in Rocky's path was his alcoholic brother-in-law, Paulie. Ward has to deal with a domineering mother and his half-brother, Dickie Eklund, whose crack addiction derailed his own boxing career. Eklund's descent into drugs became the centerpiece for an HBO documentary about crack. That very same documentary forms a framing device for The Fighter.
The picture opens with Eklund (Christian Bale) talking to the camera. He has deluded himself and others into believing the movie is about his comeback to the world of boxing. Eklund's career highlight was a bout against Sugar Ray Leonard in which Eklund knocked down (not out, just down) the world renowned pugilist. Nowadays, he works as the trainer for his younger brother Ward (Mark Wahlberg) along with their mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), who serves as Ward's manager. Alice is also the mother of seven shrill daughters (one of whom is played by Conan O'Brien's sister) by way of two different men. It is clear to anyone that Ward is being held back by familial ties. Alice hardly has the business acumen she claims she has to successfully guide her son's career. Meanwhile, Dickie frequently misses training sessions while getting high at a local crack house.
Ward's fortunes change when he meets Charlene, who is in the same On the Waterfront 'I coulda been a contender' territory. She is a former high jumper and college dropout working a go-nowhere job as a bartender. Charlene gives Ward the strength to distance himself from his troubled family and give his career a shot in the arm.
The Fighter isn't solely about boxing. No, the sport serves as a backdrop for the story of two men who must find the confidence to take control of their own lives. While Walhberg's dramatic chops can be a bit dodgy at times, he is effective here in portraying Ward as a working class schlub on the verge of success. This shouldn't be surprising as it’s a role Walhberg has played before in Invincible and even Rock Star and Boogie Nights. However, his co-star, Christian Bale, is receiving the lion's share of attention for his performance as Dickie Eklund. Bale certainly has the showier role, which required him to look emaciated and don false rotted teeth to play the drug addled Dickie. Bale is noticeably gaunt, but it is nowhere near his frighteningly, shriveled appearance in The Machinist. He's certainly dynamic whenever he appears on screen, full of bravado and nervous energy. Not to be overlooked are Melissa Leo and Amy Adams who provide a welcome female touch to an otherwise male-dominated film. Leo touches upon numerous emotions as the white trash matriarch of the Ward/Eklund brood while Adams is scrappy enough to stand toe-to-toe with their haggle of harpy sisters.
The cast also includes Jack McGee as Alice's henpecked husband, George, and Ward's real-life trainer, Mickey O'Keefe as himself.
The Fighter also serves as something of a comeback for director David O. Russell. The film was originally slated to be directed by Darren Aronofsky and would have served as a fitting complimentary piece to The Wrestler. Aronofsky eventually dropped out and Russell (who first worked with Walhberg on Three Kings) stepped in. Russell's last film to hit theaters was 2004's I Heart Huckabee's, which flopped at the box office and received mixed reviews. His next project, Nailed, became infamous as a troubled production that will likely never see the light of day. As the man behind the camera, Russell proves he still has the chops to helm a compelling film. Russell captures the dramatic moments of The Fighter while adding a comedic touch to all the right moments, including the sly use of "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake as Ward's entrance music. The boxing sequences are also dynamic with a unique montage set to The Heavy's "How Do You Like Me Now?" The montage comprises of Raging Bull-style close-ups of slow motion fists smashing into sweaty drenched faces. The major fights were painstakingly recreated using the original bouts as the basis. Russell gathered the actual technical teams from the HBO fight night matches and shot with the same cameras giving the scenes a pixilated video quality.
Sports movies and romantic comedies generally stick most rigidly to formula than any other genre. Sometimes it's not about telling new stories, but telling stories well. By those standards, The Fighter gets an easy recommendation.
Rating: *** (*****)
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