One Round Too Many

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2012)

What would you say is the greatest boxing movie of all time? Rocky? Raging Bull? Or, as the most recent Academy Awards would indicate, the recently released hybrid blockbuster/art film The Fighter? I'll put my money on the former, but the latter is certainly a great addition to the genre.
Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, the little brother of former "legend" Dicky Ward (Christian Bale). Micky is trying to make his own name in the family sport, but it's all to obvious to everyone outside of his family (with the exception of his sane father) that his brother—a crack- addict who constantly reminisces about his single moment of stardom (when he "knocked down" Sugar Ray Leonard)—mother, and sisters are a detriment. Eventually, Micky finds a love interest in Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), a local bartender who makes an effort to liberate said boxer from the quagmire of despair and misguided devotion that he's occupied for the past ten years. As you'd expect, a push/pull brawl ensues, and Micky finds himself torn between his loyalties to his family and those advocating for his "independence."
Much to my surprise, The Fighter—though certainly formulaic from time to time—actually takes some unexpected twists. At its heart, the success of the film falls on the shoulders of Christian Bale, who turns in a top-notch performance as a junkie who's battling his own demons. There's a refreshing sense of optimism to the narrative that does exactly what films like Aranofsky's Requiem for a Dream do not; that is, provide a tangible sense of hope. You know, the notion that it is, in fact, possible to overcome the doldrums of inner city drug use, low ambition, etc. In that respect, I have oodles of respect with what director David O. Russell and the accompanying screenwriters are able to do.
But then there's the tail-end of this sprawling monster (it's only 115 minutes, but, because of the final moments, it feels much longer). Instead of wrapping things up when the conflict that's effectively fueled the story has been resolved, The Fighter feels the need to push the story into the aforementioned Rocky territory by throwing in one last "Battle Royal" as the icing on the cake. This is disappointing, because although the movie is "about" boxing, it really isn't (if that makes sense). Including a title match that reflects the real-life events the film is centered on creates a "tacked-on" effect that just feelsfor lack of a better wordtrite. The impact of the resolution would have been decidedly heavyweight had The Fighter simply stuck to the good ole Freytag Pyramid and ended things when the true conflict is over and done with.
Still, the movie is a success, as it's able to stand on its own two legs as a worthy addition to a long line of excellent sports films.
Because of that, I heartily recommend it.