Human realism elevates beyond boxing

Rating: 9/10 (27 December 2010)

In what could have easily been just another underdog story "Fighter" gets audiences pumped and feeling connected to life-like characters. Many of the major players in the movie, Wahlberg and Adams in particular, are out of their normal role. Adams, featured mainly in "chick flicks" shows her gritty and sexy side. Wahlberg finally breaks out of the action role to show a very real character the audience members can't but help to support. Bale, however, steals the show. Taking a short break from Batman, he portrays Wahlberg's older, crack-addicted, ex-boxer, brother. Bale captures the mannerisms of not just a stereotypical junkie but of Dickie Eklund himself. This film pulls the focus away from an underdog sports story to one of a family struggling to hold itself together and its members coming to terms with the truth.