Certainly packs a winning punch

Rating: 9/10 (5 February 2011)

The inspiring story of an underdog who reaches the limit of physical and psychological brutality to achieve the ultimate title of a champion, makes Boxing movies such as 'Raging Bull' ,'Rocky' and 'Million Dollar Baby' the worthy Oscar legends. But beyond the conventional premise of the underdog, the true story of Micky Ward of Lowell, Massachusetts deals with the battle against his blue-collar family whose sheer incompetence and obstinate approach leave him beaten and bruised. Micky is exceptional because his tougher mental and psychological fights are against adversaries who are closest to him. The Fighter is not only director David O Russell's finest work but also the fruit of Mark Wahlberg's relentless pursuit of the Ward story as a producer and actor.
Micky is trained by his half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), the pride of Lowell, who, with his wide open eyes, Irish-American accent and inflated pride, walks around town as the legendary boxer who knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard (who may have tripped and fallen) while his footage is being covered by HBO for a supposed documentary marking his return to boxing. On one hand, Micky is faced with his trainer who is unashamedly untimely and unprofessional due to crack addiction and on the other, he is 'managed' by his obdurate mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), who inevitably wastes his chances in the arena with all the wrong/unfair matches he is coerced into. His only respite is with the beautiful but unabashed bartender, Charlene, whom his sisters detest as an 'MTV girl'. In Charlene's companionship, Micky finds hope to make it to the big league and an escape from the madness that is the Ward household. Charlene's adamant goal for Micky becomes an unlikely match for Alice's authority over his career and while their confrontations are intense, they also provide the entertainment through the stupidity of the Ward sisters, who in the background, are a loud and obtuse hippie bunch.
After an ugly row with the Police, Ricky is imprisoned and in his absence, Micky enters the arena with a new trainer, professional manager, dedicated lover and skills passed on by Ricky to finally seek his shot at the title.
The film is as brilliantly poised in the ring, as it is outside of it. Through some magnificent performances, we are able to feel some emotion for each of the characters. Amy Adams as the beautiful Charlene, has a practical understanding of Micky's predicament and that makes her character lovable. Melissa Leo as Alice portrays an authoritative tenacity that is easy to hate while the sisters provide the unsophisticated, uneducated look at the whole situation. Mark Wahlberg went through a transformation to get into Micky Ward's character. Both physically and psychologically, he portrays a range of emotions his character goes through and is subjected to. After sustaining 5-6 rounds of beating in the ring, he delivers one decisive blow to knock out the opponent. This is what he learnt from Ricky and this is what he showcases to us as an actor. He grows with every scene within the movie itself. Then again, this is what he does best. Sturdy and focused, he fights all odds to emerge victorious. But the exemplary performance has to be that of Christian Bale. He is actually Incredible as Ricky Eklund. He quickly erases any memory of the Machinist or Bruce Wayne and walks into the loose shoes of the swagger whose pride is hammered down by HBO's documentary on crack addiction. Being used to placid characters so far, he transforms into this heavily accented, slim and blunt character whose demeanor and eccentric ways can only be overshadowed by the athlete in him that eventually trains Micky to surpass even the best fighters. This has to be the best performance of Bale's career.
Recollection of older boxing films is inevitable when it comes to the fight scenes but as Micky and Ricky walk to the ring to the signature tune of Whitesnake's Here I go Again, the anticipation mounts and thereafter, Russell and the cinematographer deliver each punch with the harmony of agonizing jolts. For those who grew up with posters of 'Rocky' in their rooms, The Fighter sure as hell, packs a winning punch!
8.835 on a scale of 1-10.