A cliché but never the less effective boxing drama

Rating: 7/10 (26 January 2011)

Prior to last week, the only film of David O. Russell's that I had seen was Three Kings, an energetically shot heist film set during the closing days of the gulf war. That movie – one of my all time favourites – is a unique blend of black comedy, drama and political satire, as well as an action movie that consistently subverts the stereotypes that pervade so many of its Hollywood compatriots. Based on my love for that film, the idea of Russell directing a boxing drama in The Fighter was extremely enticing – after all, what genre is more primed for a sly deconstruction than the one that houses six Rocky movies? Unfortunately, Russell's latest effort more or less toes its generic line, with hardly any of the rebellious spark that made Three Kings so exciting. That's not to say The Fighter isn't good; it is. At times, it is truly triumphant, combining rousing fight scenes with effective family drama, and containing one of the most flabbergasting performances of the season. Yet in spite of all this, as I exited the theatre, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Perhaps my dissatisfaction lies in the films very premise, one that feels strikingly familiar to the many boxing films that came before it, and one that is made no less trite by the fact that it is based on a true story. A muscle-bound Mark Wahlberg plays Mickey "Irish" Ward, a welterweight boxer from the blue collar neighbourhood of Lowell, Massachusetts. Despite his talent, Mickey seems destined to remain a stepping stone; a man for other fighters to defeat on their way to bigger and better things. His lack of success is due in no small part to the machinations of his horrid family, which includes a parasitic mother who is also his agent, a drug addicted half-brother who is also his trainer, and an enormous number of freeloading sisters who all rely on the money Mickey's fights bring in. On the verge of quitting, Mickey is offered one last shot at stardom, but only on the condition that his family remains uninvolved.
As I said, The Fighter is good, and all of the above makes for some often compelling cinematic drama. Ultimately however, the blending of dysfunctional families and underdog fighters is nothing that hasn't been handled better in films like Raging Bull or The Wrestler, both of which also feature lead characters far more interesting than Mickey Ward. Neither does David O. Russell offer enough directorial flair – barring one or two individual moments – to make the movie-making distinct. Too often, the director falls back on the old standard of the training montage, in this case inexplicably set to popular nineties rock music. None of this is enough to cripple the film, but I have a hard time imagining wanting to revisit The Fighter when it offers very little that I haven't seen done better before. One thing I will give it credit for are the boxing scenes; magnificently staged, Russell and Wahlberg really highlight the brutality and primal excitement of the sport.
If the movie is at all transcendent, it is in the realm of its performances. Mark Wahlberg is a notoriously hit and miss actor, but his work in The Fighter is definitely amongst his best. Melissa Leo is expectedly terrific as Mickey's intensely dislikable mother, and it's great to see the so often typecast Amy Adams playing outside her usual element as Mickey's love interest, a working-class woman with a few battle scars of her own. But not one of these performers can hold a candle to Christian Bale as the squirrelly, drug-addled Dick Eklund. The Fighter marks the third time (after The Machinist and Rescue Dawn ) that Bale has shed massive amounts of weight for a part, a feat that reflects his absolute dedication to this role. Sporting a Boston accent that renders him almost unintelligible, Bale's work is the reason to see this film, and one can't help but suspect that the reason O. Russell inserted footage of the real life Dick Eklund into the films end credits was so audience members could see how spot-on Bale really is.
The Fighter is a good movie, and one that is definitely worth seeing. My disappointment comes mostly from unreal expectations, born both of my love for Three Kings and of the enormous hype that has surrounded this film; a hype that, despite me liking the movie, feels largely overblown. It is also perhaps a disappointment born of having seen one too many boxing movies, many of which I ultimately prefer over this one. But I'll be the first to acknowledge that just because a movie isn't original doesn't mean it can't be good. And at the end of the day, be it the drama, the boxing or the mind-blowing performance from Bale, there is very little about The Fighter that doesn't work.