The Fighter (2010)

Directed By: David O. Russell

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, & Jack McGee

MPAA Rating: R

My Rating: 9 / 10

For about the first half of The Fighter, I was completely unsure about whether or not I was liking it. In that time, it doesn't really separate itself from any of the other countless sports movies that have been released over the years. We have a down-and-out athlete, this time boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), and his unlikely journey to achieve success while overcoming [Insert name of obstacle or rare, life-threatening disease here). His greatest obstacle is his own half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), who was once a boxer too, most famous for possibly knocking Sugar Ray Leonard down in a fight. Sure, Leonard probably just tripped, but that doesn't matter to Dicky, the self-professed "Pride of Lowell." Now, Dicky is a crack addict whose life has become so awful, an HBO documentary is using him as an example of the damaging effects of cocaine. Dicky talks to them openly about his drug use, carrying them around the town like his own personal paparazzi. He doesn't care about the subject of the documentary...only the comeback he so eagerly dreams about achieving.

Dicky trains Micky, while their mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), manages his quickly-crumbling career. Micky hasn't won a fight in months, and his latest fight in Vegas goes terribly awry, ruining everything Micky had been working towards. Despite absolutely breathtaking performances, all of this plays out with a distinctly run-of-the-mill feel. I was enjoying the film, but I wasn't blown away as many critics had been (it has a very nice 90% on Rotten Tomatoes). But, when the HBO documentary being filmed in the first half of the movie is premiered, The Fighter takes a drastic upswing and really reaches its potential. Once the documentary is shown, we see the first crack in Dicky's cocaine-fueled confidence, and the first real hint of emotion in Micky. Even their borderline bitch mother wins sympathy, as she watches her son's downfall played out on television. In these pivotal scenes, The Fighter finally separates itself from the pack and becomes not merely a good sports movie, but a near-perfect drama.

From that point, The Fighter hits its stride and achieves things that other films of this genre only ever dream about. This cast, led ably by Mark Wahlberg, seems to revel in the film's second half, tackling material that is as good as they are. Much has been said about Christian Bale's bravura performance, especially his shocking physical transformation. Bale completely disappears into the role, in a way he hasn't been able to in years. This is the Bale we all fell in love with, far superior to the rigid, sparkless action star we've been seeing recently. Good girl Amy Adams plays against type here and, in doing so, proves once and for all that she is simply one of the best actresses of her generation. For anyone thinking she could only play one type of role (think the happy-go-lucky Enchanted type), look no further than her role in The Fighter to prove yourself wrong. The full-fledged star of the show, however, is the wonderful Melissa Leo, who delivers a grating and, at times, haunting performance as Micky and Dicky's Dina Lohan-esque mother. Just yesterday, I would have sworn that True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld would end up being my favorite female supporting performance of the year...Melissa Leo has certainly complicated that assumption. She's utterly brilliant.

If The Fighter starts out with a distinct sense of "meh" about its narrative, what it becomes in its second half makes it all worthwhile. As I watched a family fall completely apart and then slowly, painfully be pieced back together, I realized just how masterful this film really is. Whereas so many sports movies settle with being schmaltzy inspirational stories about the "power of the human spirit" and all of that nonsense, The Fighter is an unflinching and emotionally-brutal story of a family trying to survive. Boxing plays second fiddle to the vivid characters and their troubled relationships, and that is why this film is so good. When, at the end, we have the quintessential happy ending (not a terrible spoiler...this is still, at its core, a sports movie, after all), it doesn't just feel like a boxing match has been decided, but rather that the future of an entire family has been. It might still be predictable and its first half may only be good, rather than great, but The Fighter is an undeniably exceptional piece of cinema, primarily because of its breathtaking second half and mesmerizing performances from the entire cast. This is what all sports movies should aspire to be.