Although I had heard mixed reviews of the David O. Russell drama “The Fighter,” I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the film.
Even though the story centers around a boxer, part of what makes it interesting is that there is less focus on the actual matches themselves and more on the main character Mickey Ward’s (Mark Wahlberg) struggle to separate himself from the people trying to control his life: his mother (Melissa Leo), his brother (Christian Bale), and his girlfriend (Amy Adams).
What really gives the movie its strength is the complex performances of Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams. The other part of the knockout punch is the awesome music selection, which aside from the Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Strip My Mind,” is just spot on. Probably the weakest acting in the film came from the star himself, Mark Wahlberg, who seemed mentally vacant throughout the story. This unfortunately made his character pretty hard to root for.
My Grade: B+