Pretty good little biopic

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2013)

Not an amazing film or anything, but a thought-provoking human drama that envelops you in detailed, character-led storytelling. In essence, the writers got hold of an interesting true-life tale about two boxing brothers and turned it into one of those documentary-looking films in the same style as THE WRESTLER.
The cast are fine. Mark Wahlberg has, I think, realised by now that he will never be one of the acting greats, but he contributes a leading role here which is all heart. He's a good guy to get behind. Christian Bale, of course, is the scene-stealer as the heroin addicted brother, but then having seen plenty of his work I wouldn't really expect anything else from him.
The rest of the cast is populated by irritating characters yet the conflict rings true and the character arcs are well drawn. I'm not really a huge fan of David O. Russell as director but he does an admirable job here, both in the character drama and the electrifying boxing scenes. THE FIGHTER certainly has enough going for it to hold the attention and proves a refreshing change from the onslaught of superhero flicks clogging up local cinema screens.