The Fighter (2010)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams
Directed by: David O. Russell
Written by: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
Country: USA
Genre: Drama

It is rare enough for one family to produce a single championship boxer, let alone two. Dickey and Mickey Ward (Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg) are two brothers who have been blessed with the gift of jab – two boxers with the same blood but very different approaches in and out of the ring. Set in the mid-eighties, The Fighterfollows the challenging path that Mickey Ward faces to find his way out of the shadow of his brother, who once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, and find his way into the spotlight of his own. But Irish Pride is a force to be reckoned with. His mother Alice (Melissa Leo), who has acted as Dickey’s boxing manager, also represents Mickey; Dickey has taken to training Mickey, when he isn’t smoking crack. The delusions of Alice and Dickey prevent Mickey from ever really earning a serious opportunity as a fighter. However, his new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams), his father (Jack McGee) and few others are loyal to Mickey and recognize his unique talent and opportunity for success.

This film marks a massive departure for director David O. Russell whose previous film was the highly quirky existential comedy I Heart Huckabees in 2004. What he presents here is stylistically different than anything he has done before – though when looking at his entire body of work, Russell’s visual style is consistently inconsistent. With The Fighter he seems to be channeling the best aspects of Martin Scorsese in the use of classic rock songs (particularly the Rolling Stones in his montage sequences,) as well as Darren Aronofsky in his use of realism (though Aronofsky is actually executive producer on this film.) Or perhaps The Fighter just resembles those directors because it enters the same immersive realm as Raging Bull (1980) and The Wrestler (2008).

However, Russell’s lack of consistent visual style is not a detriment. In fact, it is in his ability to bend his direction to best serve his characters and story that is one of his biggest strengths. What remains consistent in his films is his penchant for optimism: characters with unbridled optimism, characters who stumble across optimism after shedding their selfishness, or merely an optimistic outcome to his characters’ story. Whatever happens in his films, however dark it may get, there is always a concluding sense that everything is going to be okay. The Fighter is no different. In fact, it might be the most dynamic of Russell’s films in its discovery of positivity. During one of the final moments in Mickey’s title bout, Dickey spouts some motivation, “Take all the shit we’ve just been through, and use it here. Now.” It is a reminder that hardship is just a stepping-stone to personal victory. It is a line that could be used in most of Russell’s films.

Each member of The Fighter’s cast puts in the best performance that they have given in years. Mark Wahlberg reminds us that he has a grossly misused talent for evoking empathy and a flair for characters – not caricatures as he is so often cast. Amy Adams and Melissa Leo explode as their tough-as-nails characters. It is refreshing to see Adams in such an intimidating role, (albeit one that definitely has a softer side,) as her career seems to be built on a number of passive or oblivious characters. Diversity does wonders for her. But the most obviously remarkable performance comes from Christian Bale. And while it would be easy to say that he ‘steals the show’, that isn’t the case at all. In fact, it is his extraordinary talent in working within an ensemble that continually proves what a dedicated and giving actor he is, (as he has shown in 2006’s The Prestige, 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma, and, well, in nearly everything he has appeared.) On a superficial note, it is great not to see him in a role where he is constantly screaming his lines as a lot of his big blockbuster films often have him doing, but perhaps that is why his rendition of the goofy Dickey seems so exceptional. This is a truly fascinating character trapped between being lovable and deplorable. Dickey loves being the center of attention, and the attention givers love Dickey, so they turn their heads when he indulges in his crack addiction. It is a role that requires uninhibited diligence on Bale’s part, and he succeeds greater than he ever has before.

The Fighter is a rare thing in Hollywood. It is a film that is based on a true story, but one that doesn’t become a slave to its biographical roots. It is a film that is focused so much more on telling the best possible story. It doesn’t use “based on a true story” as a crutch as much as it does as a side note. Instead of merely presenting a character that everyone is familiar with, Russell and screenwriters develop a complex and engaging story about overcoming the odds, about gaining (or regaining) confidence, about leaving the nest and becoming a strong individual, and realizing personal potential. The Fighter succeeds so well in inconspicuously absorbing its audience that they might not even be aware of how invested they are until they involuntarily throw their arms into the air in a fit of exuberance in the film’s final moment.