One of my favorite things about film criticism are the blurbs that you always see in the television commercials or print ads, where the marketing folks extract a glowing sentence praising the film in question. Of course, many of them are altered to better fit the advertisement, but I always get a kick out of the deliciously punny one-liners, especially from the hammy likes of Gene Shalit or the late Joel Siegel. If your attention isn't diverted to an article whose headline is something like "Ishtar Ishtarrible", then you have no soul.
But if there's any kind of film that's a gold mine for potential shameless review hooks, it's the sports genre-- more specifically, the boxing movie. Tell me you haven't seen a review of a pugilist picture without the words "knockout", "champion", or "contender" in the headline, and I'll call you a boldfaced liar. But for The Fighter, any of those three words would most definitely be an apt description of the latest film by director David O. Russell, a powerful and well-executed drama bolstered by a magnificent cast.
It's 1993, and Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is an up-and-coming boxer in the town of Lowell, Massachusetts. Despite his drive and determination, however, Micky's track record in the ring is less than stellar, made only worse by the fact that he's still lingering in the shadow of his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), who fifteen years earlier went the distance against Sugar Ray Leonard, becoming a local legend.
Even though Micky has a strong support system from his family and friends, including a manager in his mother Alice (Melissa Leo) and a trainer in Dicky, Micky's career isn't exactly going anywhere. His mom's rather controlling in her managerial style, and Dicky, way past his prime, is now an unreliable crack addict who's had multiple run-ins with the law.
After a particularly crushing loss, Micky begins to consider throwing in the towel and giving up his career. He's convinced otherwise by his new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams), a bartender who thinks Micky's lack of success is due to his family's overbearing influence. Micky must eventually choose between making real improvements in his career, or staying with his family.
Much like my attitude towards romantic comedies, I've recently become tired and disenfranchised with "heartwarming"/"inspirational" sports dramas, especially those based on true stories (even though considerable artistic license is taken in almost every film of the sort). They all usually follow a predictable, done-to-death formula that often times crosses the line into treacly Hallmark Channel sap. Having seen the somewhat lackluster trailer for The Fighter (which is also based on a real tale), I was expecting just more of the same.
Boy, was I wrong. What we have here is not so much a "boxing movie", but more of an intense study of familial relationships, loyalty, and high expectations in a vastly competitive world. The in-ring action serves more as window dressing (though still rather gripping).
I've never been a big fan of Russell's, but I decided to give this chance, mainly because of the all-star ensemble. And it's the best thing about the flick, with every cast member delivering brilliant performances. Mark Wahlberg (whom I still refer to and will always refer to as "Marky Mark"-- but in a loving fashion rather than a pejorative one) does a perfect job in a rare reserved role, all the more ironic considered the brutality his character engages in. His Micky is vulnerable, submissive to his family's wishes, and quietly resentful about still being in his famous brother's shadow.
Compounding those problems is his mother Alice, portrayed by a fantastic Melissa Leo (Frozen River), whose forceful and somewhat power-hungry demeanor belies a deep pain regarding her sons' situations, and a massive insecurity revealed when her control over Micky is challenged by his new flame Charlene, played by an equally terrific Amy Adams.
But the true knockout performance here (see? I myself fall victims to those oh-so-addictive puns) is from Christian Bale. Easily one of the best and most dedicated actors working today, I'm still flabbergasted that Bale has never been nominated for an Oscar. The man has had a highly versatile body of work, some of them great (Empire of the Sun, Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma), some of them shocking and unforgettable (American Psycho, The Machinist), and some of them unfortunate (Newsies). But the Academy will have no choice but to recognize Bale this time around.
Bale completely disappears into the role of Dick Eklund, both emotionally and physically. There's almost a musical quality to how Bale twitches, speaks, and even blinks, where we witness a man who's prisoner to his addictions and remains stuck in the past, constantly reminding others of how he went toe-to-toe with Sugar Ray, but in reality is just a tweaked-out shell of the man he used to be. It's a remarkable transformation for Bale, especially the weight he lost to play the role (though it's not the emaciated levels he reached with The Machinist).
In fact, the film's most telling and emotionally devastating scene centers around the unveiling of an HBO documentary that Dicky believed was about his supposed impending boxing comeback, but was really about the life of drug addicts. The reactions of the main characters watching the less-than-flattering special, especially that of Dicky and Alice, are absolutely heartbreaking. It's a powerful examination of how some tight-knit family units appear strong on the outside, but are extremely fragile and doomed to shatter on the inside.
However, the biggest fault of The Fighter is its predictability, a speed bump almost guaranteed for this kind of movie. We've seen this formula before countless times, but luckily, Russell manages to add a lot more realism and genuine characterization here than most other sports films. Aside from a somewhat underwhelming first third, The Fighter ultimately delivers, and then some, with an amazing cast, top-notch directing and screenwriting, and terrific boxing scenes. Though it's not the greatest boxing film ever (those honors still go to both Rocky and Raging Bull), The Fighter is-- yes, I'll say it despite my better instincts-- a true cinematic champion.
Letter Grade: "A-"
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