"I'm the one fighting, okay? Not you, not you, and not you."
The Fighter is raw, dirty and great. You can smell the cigarettes and sweat in the air while watching this, and I love it. All performances are great; Bale and Wahlberg bring their A-game as you would expect. I think even though it is about dudes boxing, I would say the MVP here for me was Amy Adams. She is someone you want by your side during any hard moments in your life.
Having never been much of a fan of Mark Wahlberg's acting, I was pleased to see him cast as the strong, soft-spoken type while the cast's real heavy hitters claim center stage. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo clearly relish their chance to play such a manipulative, self-centered pair, with both lending their roles an unusual amount of depth and character. Beneath the dark cloud of bitter dreams and selfishness that surrounded both, I could tell they saw more than just a meal ticket in Micky's unlikely climb up the ranks, though they certainly took full advantage of the perks.
The Fighter is really at its best when it’s teetering on the brink of two extremes, with loyalty and family bonds tugging in one direction while self-preservation and a devoted love interest pull in the other, and a lot of the air goes out of the story when there isn't some manner of blowoff prior to the climax. The majority of the picture spotlights poor Micky, trying to choose between a rock and a hard place, and in the end he never actually makes a decision, which I guess fits with his unsure personality.
The filming techniques are noteworthy, with a drastically different look and feel setting the mood for documentary scenes, family drama and fights, respectively. It’s a solid flick, though not one I'd have expected to get a best picture nod.
"I want Dickie, and I want you Charlene, and O'keefe. But I gotta do this for me, not for you, not for you, and not for you. For me."
Great action performance by Christian Bale as always, but I didn't like it that much... disappointingly it's more about drugs then boxing.
7/10 stars
Great acting all around, but Bale definitely stole the screen in this one. A little hammy at times, but I think this was a decent underdog story.
Good premise and acting shot well down to earth and gritty feeling to the movie
Christian Bale is known for transformative purposes, and this is one of my favorites. His Dickie Ward is an absolute livewire, spasming with energy and haunted by the ghost of Greatness that he doesn’t realize isn’t there. The movie can sometimes teeter on the edge of caricature (Melissa Leo falls just on the right side, while the Greek chorus of sisters falls way on the wrong side), but feels largely accurate overall. I would have recommended some different music choices–David O. Russell tries to imitate Scorsese in the soundtrack, but the songs are often just too on-the-nose to be anything but distracting. (See: “Here I Go Again,” “Good Times Bad Times,” “Back in the Saddle,” etc.)
This one somehow managed to slide on by me until now. I LOVE both leads and everything they do, yet it took me over a decade to see this movie. It is rock solid. Not anything unlike other top of line sport dramas, but it executes it really well. I am excited for when I get back around to revisiting.
Rating: 4/5 - 8.5/10 - Would Recommend
not at all what i wanted from a boxing movie
This movie felt like it was more about Dick than Micky for a long time but i liked it..I was expecting little more to tell the truth but as the time goes by it gets better and better. 7.3/10
Christian Bale absolutely stole this film and it is a shame that he was only nominated for best supporting actor.
what can i say ... this movie was pure.... the main thing in this movie is the acting of the casts... everyone was natural in their role ....but can't take a little bit of credit from Christian Bale , Amy Adams & Melissa Leo ...these 3 were so natural in their acting that it was phenomenal ... Mark Wahlberg did his job but needed a bit more...Bale and Leo was totally into their characters ..but the fun fact is i didn't even know these 2 got oscars from this ... when i found out i was shocked and happy that my praising for these 2 were right..... IMDB rate 7.8 is good but i will give it a 7... it was a boxing movie but not a boxing movie ...this movie mainly focused on their way of life and what they are as a family ... I thought Alice Ward (played by Melissa Leo ) or the mother character was not a developed one...but in the end this movie proved me wrong and i am happy with it .... I loved the songs in it ..loved the build up...loved the pureness... and totally loved Christian Bale ... don't watch the trailer i repeat DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER... it is a heck of a spoiler and can diminish your excitement for the movie...IT WAS A GOOD WATCH
O Mark Wahlberg e a Amy Adams estiveram brilhantes neste filme, mas tiveram o azar de também entrar no filme um tal de Christian Bale que os eclipsou por completo.
This movie was great. The characters were very believable and the plot was just great. I enjoyed the movie and thought that Christan Bale did a great job acting like a crackhead and he even looked the part. Mark W did a fantastic job however his character only really had one part that showed true emotion. See this movie.
Shout by Dylan GrearsBlockedParent2021-07-14T21:12:11Z
A film I have seen several times, I watched this upon its release in 2010 and then was hooked on it as a young teenager, I instantly became a Wahlberg and Bale fan over night for the parts they played, as well as a boxing fan of “Irish Micky Ward” a great underdog drama story, great soundtrack and award worthy acting. I absolutely loved it.