"The Fighter" is a winner!

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2010)

Ladies and gentlemen! It could very well be the main movie event of 2010! Weighing in at 114 minutes, packed with solid acting performances, and destined to be one of the best boxing character pictures of all time, "The Fiiiiiighter"! Star and Executive Producer Mark Wahlberg bent over backwards for many years to get "The Fighter" in the cinematic ring. It was a project that was destined to be knocked out in developmental hell. Wahlberg took the hits but fought enough to get the film greenlighted, and then asked his good friend & collaborator David O. Russell to direct "The Fighter". Why not? Russell has been known to fight from time to time with his actors, just ask the legendary Lily Tomlin; the "David vs. Actor Goliaths" approach could have just been utilized when Wahlberg was able to recruit the feisty but outstanding actor Christian Bale to the project. "The Fighter" depicts the true story of Massachusetts boxer Mickey Ward, the Welterweight who in the mid-90's . I can't finish out that statement or else it will be a blow to your cinematic pleasure of enjoying "The Fighter". Ward was trained by his older half-brother Dicky Eklund, a former fighter himself who in 1978 knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard but then was knocked out himself by Sugar Crack Burner. Yea, he became a crack addict. Ward was managed by his controlling mother Alice, whose "Alice in Fighterland" management style are reminiscent of the Mommie Dearest uppercuts; OK, maybe not that bad but she vehemently insists for Mickey to be managed and trained by her circle of family & friends. One thing about Alice is that she was in Laborland plenty of times in her life by not only birthing Mickey & Dicky, but also six other sisters! Mickey falls for sexy bartender Charlene Fleming, who supports Mickey in his boxing career but feels it would be of benefit to him not to include his crack addict brother and his possessive mother in his entourage. Director David O. Russell and Screenwriters Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson effectively prioritize character development within this prized picture and just let boxing and its circle be the arena where the film's characters are exhibited in their highs & lows; either mentally, physically, or psychologically. In other words, "The Fighter" is more a character piece than a "win at all cost" hoorah boxing flick. Mark Wahlberg did not lack a punch with his well-balanced starring performance as Mickey Ward. Amy Adams tended the acting task quite admirably once more with her juicy performance as Charlene. Melissa Leo had the mother of all supporting actress performances of the year with her magnetic performance as momma manager Alice. But the ringleader of all the acting here was undoubtedly the stupendous work of the caped crusader himself Christian Bale. He totally embodied the character of Dicky Englund. Bale has been doing this for years in fully transforming himself to the characters he portrays. You don't believe me? Add to your Netflix Query "American Psycho", "The Machinist", and "3:10 To Yuma", if you have not seen these Bale classic performances already. All of these performances (especially Psycho) should have been nominated for Best Actor Oscars! I will give the Academy the benefit of the doubt there because of strong competition in those years, but I will not bail them out this year if Bale is not championed as the Best Supporting Actor. "The Fighter" may not come out on top as the best motion picture of the year, but it is still one viable worthy contender. ***** Excellent