Directed by:
David O. RussellCinematography:
Hoyte van HoytemaComposer:
Michael BrookCast:
Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee, Americo Presciutti, Jeffrey Corazzini, Dan Marshall, Jackson Nicoll, Lindsey Warm (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
The Fighter is the inspirational, true story of these two brothers who, against all the odds, come together to train for a historic title bout that will unite their fractured family, redeem their pasts and, at last, give their hard-luck town what it's been waiting for: pride. The story unfolds on the gritty, blue-collar streets of Lowell, Mass, where Dicky was once known as "The Pride of Lowell" having gone the distance with the world champion Sugar Ray Leonard. However, after losing that fight, like the town of Lowell, Dicky's fallen on hard times. His boxing days are behind him and his life has become shattered by drug abuse. Younger brother Micky, meanwhile, has become the family's fighter and fading hope for a champion. But despite all of his work, Micky's career is failing and he loses fight after punishing fight.
Dicky and Micky's tougher-than-nails mother, Alice (MELISSA LEO), manages his career and Dicky serves as his highly unreliable trainer. When Micky's latest fight nearly kills him, it looks like it could all be over - until his iron-willed new girlfriend, Charlene (AMY ADAMS), convinces him to do the unthinkable: split with his family, pursue his own interests and train without his increasingly volatile and criminal brother. Now Micky has the chance of a lifetime as he earns a shot at the World Championship. But when his brother and dysfunctional family reenter his life, they must all reconcile their pasts and become more than just a family in name. With Micky and Dicky reunited, this becomes more than just a fight - it's an all-out comeback for these brothers, their family, and their city. When it's over, Micky will have become a World Champion, a Hall of Fame legend, and the new "Pride of Lowell". (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (11)
Right from the opening credits, it occurred to me that I had been unnecessarily worried about Fighter. And in the final credits, there was nothing ordinary or transparent about it at all. The cast surprises with their escalating performances (not surprisingly, the beautiful Amy Adams dominates), the TV-style fights in the ring draw you in yet at the same time provide the necessary viewer's perspective, and in the end, even the perpetually screaming, "semi-redneck" storyline with the successful family gains deeper meaning and stops being a distraction. This boxing story simply works from the first to the last minute. Some mistakes don't have to be repeated.
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A family drama (in the sense of a “drama about a family” rather than a “drama for the whole family”) that is pulled out of mediocrity only by the excellent Christian Bale (in a role similar to the one he played in Harsh Times). Fighter is a psychologically believable and, in terms of acting, focused film that doesn’t bring anything new to the genre of intimate relationship movies and doesn’t offer any moments of a more dramatic nature. Mark Wahlberg’s role suits him due to his real-life background, but the film rather needed a real actor in the mold of Bale for that role.
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This is not so much a film about boxing and the hardships this sport brings (that's why comparisons with Rocky, Raging Bull, etc. are unwarranted), but mainly a social drama about a crazy family, a domineering mother-manager and two brothers who are completely different in character, all with riveting performances by almost everyone involved. While Wahlberg, with his unchanging poker player expression, hits his acting limits here, the anorexic Bale clearly reigns supreme and whenever he's on screen you can't take your eyes off him. There is such a believable and intimate atmosphere permeating the whole film, that you have no problem empathising with the action and watching it all in one breath. The only thing separating this film from a maximum rating is the fact that the plot meanders through predictable twists and turns, but otherwise it’s undoubtedly one of the films of the year and the Oscar nominations are well deserved.
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The strongest response that The Fighter managed to get out of me was curiosity at whether Bale will get the Oscar for his secondary role as the skinny, drug-addicted brother/coach. I hope he does, because, although the film as a whole felt like classic award bait, Bale’s performance is the only thing that stands out among all the cynicism and it impressed me (something the cynicism from recent years, like Invictus or Milk, didn’t manage). Otherwise, it’s an ordinary story about how an unremarkable “loser” goes all the way to the top, though I didn’t get the feeling that Micky Ward made any extraordinary effort for that. The Fighter is not a bad film, but my sympathies lie elsewhere. 6/10
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In crack fumes and in the smell of peroxide on boxing Olympus. The sympathetic, if inconsistent, synthesis of the Royck genre film with family-social drama, which has little idea which side to be on more, and thereby prefers to do the sure thing. Thanks to Bale and a very juicy finale, sympathy wins above all, although the question of why Aronofsky reached for a more effective grease from Tchaikovsky continues to bother me. The Fighter is simply a more modest and sympathetic substance. And not just because it's got balls.
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A decent boxing movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. I'm actually surprised I didn't get it sooner. It's mostly a drama about two brothers who have family problems and one of them is addicted to crack, but when Wahlberg gets in the ring, it's mostly something to watch. The final fight in particular was excellent. I enjoyed it, but it lacked the emotional impact to make a full count. There have been better pieces, but this one certainly doesn't fall short. 80%.
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Bale turned his supporting role into the main role. Marky Mark plays the dime-a-dozen boxer that this story revolves around, but Bale enjoys playing Dicky to the very full, while not forgetting to respect him as a person. Great swathes of this movie rely on him alone and some moments are memorable only due to him. David O. Russell is another ace up the Fighter’s sleeve and drives the movie forward. The final fight is precisely balanced, the family wrangling disappears in the abyss of time and the actors help overcome some of the clichéd passages.
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Freed from unnecessary pathos and sentiment, a boxing drama the likes of which we haven't seen for a long time. Above all, the central duo delivers an excellent performance. Christian Bale once again shows what he is capable of doing for his role; he lost a good 20 kilograms since Batman, and his emaciated, drug-addicted ex-boxer character is very well played. In some dialogues, the film has a very dramatic storyline, which makes it surprisingly gripping at times. The fights are by far not the only thing keeping film afloat, there are a few of them, and they are not worth mentioning much. I understand the Oscar nominations, after all, statues have always been awarded for boxing (why not tackle it). Much faster and smarter than I expected, Cinderella Man is an absolute lightweight compared to this.
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It's just a bit above-par, but O.Russell quite handles the responsibility in the end. Perhaps a little more was expected from this film, just considering how diligently the actors prepared for their roles – anyone who expects miracles from everything should cool down quickly. Fighter has its strength and quality, not like Million Dollar Baby or Wrestler, but as a drama based on a true story, it's top-notch in terms of direction and especially the psychology of the characters. And the flaws are compensated by both the excellent Wahlberg, who really wrung his teeth and showed himself in the best possible light, and especially by the skinny Bale, whose performances are more impressive every year. A film that will probably be quickly forgotten, but that will certainly deserve a little reminder now and then...
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The Fighter is one of those films that didn't dazzle me until the second half, which is always the more important half for me. The beginning was just bland, but, like I said, the second half was better, especially the last fight. Christian Bale (whom I'll probably never come to like) played his role quite well, and from the female cast I have to single out Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. In short, it's not up for a Best Picture Oscar, no question about that, but the Bald Man would be a good fit in the hands of any of the actors (3 chances).
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I always wonder how it is still possible for another boxing movie to be successful. But when I see it, I realize that it is still possible. Stallone proved it several times with his Rocky, and definitely with his latest contribution. Martin Scorsese did not let himself be embarrassed either, and now he has also made his dream project come true, as did Mark Wahlberg. He deserves all the credit, but just like boxer Micky Ward has problems with the attention mainly focused on his brother Dicky, Mark Wahlberg disappears in the shadow of his colleagues. When Christian Bale won an Oscar for his role as Dicky, it was a bit disappointing for me, because I wished it for Geoffrey Rush for his unbelievable performance in "The King's Speech". But what Christian demonstrates in "The Fighter" is simply incredible. He doesn't act, he is the character. There aren't many actors like him, including Meryl Streep and the aforementioned Geoffrey Rush, but Bale deserves all the credit. He was not afraid of a character who is not a hero, who is negative, who has many character flaws, but he managed them all in such a way that you won't look for Bruce Wayne in him for a moment. Credit where credit is due. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/frost-vs-nixon-bos-vs-kung-fu-trocha.html
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