One of 2010's Most Powerful Films

Rating: Null/10 (26 January 2011)

Fighter, The (2010)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Mark Wahlberg turns in the performance of a lifetime as Micky Ward, a boxer who can't seem to fight his way to the top, which could be the fault of his manager mother (Melissa Leo) and his crackhead brother (Christian Bale). Micky is constantly doing what's best for those around him instead of doing what's best for himself but this starts to change when a new woman (Amy Adams) enters his life. Boxing films have been around since the 1890s when the likes of Edison would film entire fights and then sell them to the public round by round. Since these earliest days you've had a wide range of actors play boxers and whenever a new movie comes along that deals with a boxer you can almost place bets on how the story is going to play out. It's funny but the boxing sub-genre really hasn't changed too much from the silent days to CHAMPION to RAGING BULL and to more recent stuff like MILLION DOLLAR BABY. I think unlike other sport films, boxing lets you root for people who you normally wouldn't care a bit about. I've read reviews that stated Micky Ward had no personality and I think this is true because his personality was trying to keep everyone else out of trouble, which is why he often found himself in trouble and to me this is the entire point of THE FIGHTER. There's no question this film offers up some of the best acting of the year but it also has some of the most powerful moments as well. This certainly isn't the greatest movie of the year but there's no question that it's a major success for its cast and director. Wahlberg has always been capable of strong performances when the material was right and this one here is without question a masterpiece. Wahlberg's Ward doesn't get a very flashy part and he really isn't given the best dialogue of the film. Often times he's in the background watching all the chaos of his family in front of him and this is the reason the performance is so great because he reacts to everything going on. I always say the greatest thing about some performances are the eyes and watching Wahlberg react here is worth the price of admission. The flashiest role certainly goes to Bale who is rightfully winning just about every award. We've seen crackheads before but not once here did you ever see an actor because Bale is so in character that you can't help but feel as if you're watching a real documentary on a troubled person. Leo turns in another great performance after her work in FROZEN RIVER and Adams is also impressive once again and she's clearly turning out to be one of the finest workers currently in Hollywood. Jack McGee is also worth mentioning as the father. I think at times the soundtrack is over used and some of the editing during the fights tries to be too stylish but there's no denying that the power of this film is in its story and acting. One of the most heartbreaking and brutally raw moments in recent memory comes during a scene where HBO is showing a documentary on Micky's brother. Seeing how this impacts everyone in this family was certainly the most powerful moment of any film released in 2010.