Amazing acting, great dialogue and brings a new element to the boxing genre

Rating: Null/10 (18 January 2015)

I'm a pretty big fan of boxing movies, yes they are all the same, but I really like the story, the final fight and the happy ending. The only one that defies that usual structure is Million Dollar Baby, which is an amazing movie, but whatever. Anyway, The Fighter manages to spice up the generic boxing genre with some well-acted family drama.
This film tells the story of Micky Ward a boxer who is trying to make a comeback, in his "corner" are his sassy mother and manager Alice (Melissa Leo), brother Dicky Eklund (masterfully played by Christian Bale), a crack addict who is a former boxer himself and has been coaching Micky for as long as both can remember, and later on, his strong-willed girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams, amazing). They all want what is best for Micky, however each one has different opinions on that matter and how to get to achieve their common goal. However, Alice wants the best for the family, not just Micky himself, and Dicky, despite being well- intentioned, he is a total wildcard. Due to all of this, both end up dragging down Ward instead of ultimately helping him. Charlene enters and tries to convince Mickey to leave his family (relating to boxing) and keep boxing without them. It all makes for an amazing story, very well-thought out and entertaining.
The acting in the movie is superb, after all the cast is what carries the movie. All of the exchanges and relationships between characters are the most interesting part of the film. The lead performance is very good, Wahlberg is very rough and tough, you can relate to his character, a guy who is overshadowed by his older brother. The best performance in the movie though is by Christian Bale, he is a true supporting actor in this movie, steals every scene, god the guy just nails the character, his mannerisms, and all physical features, thin face, slouch, and the way it seems like he is chewing on something when there's nothing in his mouth, amazing stuff, Bale is an expert actor, and his dedication to each role is unrivaled. Amy Adams and Melissa Leo also give extraordinary performances, especially Adams, who is very much out of her usual roles, and does a great job, a very edgy and relatable performance. She gives Micky some needed backbone to make better decisions in his life. Leo is also amazing, a very realistic performance. And the chemistry between all of the actors makes this movie reach new heights in terms of acting.
The script is pretty good, ultimately it is a rags-to-riches story, the ending is predictable in this type of film of course, but the family drama helps the movie become more relatable and interesting. And the dialogue is what does it. David O. Russell's direction is very good, he's a creative director, and I particularly enjoyed his approach to the fights, shooting them like HBO 90s fights, with the crappy camera quality. Another thing worth mentioning is the soundtrack, all of the songs combine perfectly with each scene, none of them were misplaced.
I thought The Fighter was a very fun and interesting movie, plus I really liked the dramatic element, it brought a needed twist to the now tired boxing genre. It has great acting, great dialogue, overall a great film.