Christian Bale & Melissa Leo's Performances Shine Here!

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2011)

The Fighter was truly a story about Lowell, Massachusetts and two brothers. The brothers are played by Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. Bale is the older brother who has achieved some success beating out Sugar Ray Leonard but he became a drug addict and criminal. Bale's Dicky still coaches his little brother, Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg. For Wahlberg, this story hits close to home because he's from nearby Dorchester. Anyway, Christian Bale earned his Academy Award as best supporting actor for his performance. There is no trace of his British accent. He simply becomes Dicky and whether you like him or hate him, he makes him simply sympathetic to the viewers. Wahlberg's Micky tries and succeeds at freeing himself from his over-protective mother Alice Ward (played brilliantly by Melissa Leo in her Oscar performance). As Alice Ward, Leo is unrecognizable from past performances. Amy Adams plays the girlfriend, Charlene, who loves Micky but makes him see his crazy family. There are moments in the film that are sweet like when Alice and Dicky are in the car at the crack house and they start singing together. This film has some flaws but not much in it. The police officer and trainer was the actual O'Keefe who had to audition for his role. Jack McGee is fine as the father as well. The sisters were okay but they were always together for most of the time. I couldn't tell one sister from the other. You see Alice Ward was married with Dicky's father and had a couple of his kids. She divorced him and remarried George Ward and added Micky and a few more girls to the family.