Try not to get knocked out with brilliant acting...

Rating: 9/10 (10 September 2012)

Acting. That's the movies stand out point. Brilliant acting. Not just because of the Oscars, but really you have to see it for yourself. The story that is centered on a boxer from Lowell, MS, comes of as a pretty standard boxing story (with a few twists), even though it's based on a true story. It's a drama to the fullest sense of the word, but not uninteresting one.
The story develops just the way it should, even though it has a few loose ends. The movie is written well and the boxing scenes are, more or less, well made. Well made meaning they look realistic. Two main actresses have put in wonderful performances, and Mark Wahlberg also puts in a solid performance (you cannot not like his character), but unfortunately (or fortunately) they are all outplayed by Christian Bale. Bale's Oscar-winning portrayal of a former boxer who lives in the past, and is also a crack addict, is pure genius. Just for the sake of his acting you should watch this movie.
The movie flows very well, it's never boring, it has just about the right amount of boxing scenes vs. everyday life scenes, it has brilliant acting, and a few shocking, tear-inducing scenes, which are more than welcome in this kind of movie. A warm recommendation to everyone, even to the uninterested kind, based solely on acting if not on everything else.