Superbly Acted, Inspiring, and Uplifting.

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2011)

Even though after watching the trailer for The Fighter I knew essentially the whole story and how it ended (the reason I only gave it a 9 was the predictability of the story), I was still thoroughly entertained for the duration. And this can mainly be credited to the strong performances for really the whole cast.
Bale is a shoe in for an Oscar. Already got the golden globe, and I don't see anyone else even coming close to his performance. Aside from Bales physical appearance like his drop in weight, at the end of the film, during the credits,they have the real Mickey and Dickey, and Bale is almost a damn clone of the real Dickey. The performance is so strong, you pretty much hate Dickey for a lot of the film, yet you feel almost sorry for him in a pathetic kind of way, and then end up cheering for him towards the end.
Wahlberg gives possibly his best performance of his career. This was a great move for him because lately he's been having a lot of duds. Personally I thought he wasn't even all that good in The Good Guys and that was probably his best film since The Departed.
The two female leads, Amy Adams plays Wahlberg's girlfriend and Melissa Leo who plays his Mom and Manager, are great as well. Adams is great as the strong, inspiring girlfriend that gets Wahlberg out from the hole that is his family, but that's no surprise. And Leo will be getting some good roles coming her way, she was the least likable character on the screen, somewhat similar to Amy Ryan's Mom in Gone Baby Gone.
As for O'Russell he did a great job directing the film, especially with his choice of cinematography. The majority of the film is filmed with hand held cameras, giving it a very documentary and realistic feel. He also takes real home videos of the Dickey and Mickey as well as cutting to real rights from HBO to make the story that much more authentic, creating an even more heartfelt experience for the audience always being reminded that this is a true story. During the actual boxing matches he uses footage from HBO and the only voices that can be heard are the crowds and announcers placing you in real time with the match, unexpectedly watching.
Overall its a phenomenal character story, driven by the actors and actresses. The story is predictable, yet I almost cheered myself a couple of times during the matches. It definitely worth a watch, especially if your a Christian Bale fan, its an unbelievable performance and without a doubt the Oscar winner for best supporting actor. I would see it again and recommend you do as well, at least once.