The Fighter

I rarely give actors and actresses credit for amovie. In fact, I am frequently irritated at how much credit they get at the cost of the writer, director, and cinematographer. The director shows you how to look good, the screenwriter gives you good things to say, and thecinematographer makes you look good. In only a few movies have I been thoroughly had by great acting – DeNiro in “King of Comedy” and “Raging Bull,”Jim Carrey in “Man On the Moon” (which I saw ages ago), and Frances McDormand in “Fargo.” I now can add Christian Bale to the list for his performance in "The Fighter."

“The Fighter” is a movie about Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg in an understated performance) and his brother Dicky (Christian Bale). Micky and Dicky have grown up loving the sport of boxing. Micky in particular has always looked up to his older brother Dicky. Dicky wants everyone to know his claim to fame – that he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard. He is the pride of Lowell (his hometown where he and the family still reside) and Micky is the next rising star.

The problems then avalanche. The family is a brand of dysfunctional called “Enmeshed.” Enmeshment is when youhave family members who are so intertwined in one others lives that it is suffocating. Alice the Mom, played brilliantly by Melissa Leo, is the matriarch and proud whip cracker of the family. She is Micky’s manager, while Dicky serves as Micky’s trainer – if he can ever show up on time to train him. That Micky and Dicky’s sisters look like a row of 7 year olds playing dress up in 40-something-year-old’s bodies further emphasizes the enmeshed nature of the family.

Then there is Dicky. Dicky is addicted to crack and it has done what you expect crack to do to a persons life. Difficultscenes to watch involving groups of people in crack houses with Dicky at the center populate the first two thirds of the film. It is heart breaking – but with any less skilled actor, it would be silly. Bale’s portrayal of Dicky is the perfect portrayal of an addict – on the one hand you completely despise him. On the other, you can't help but love him.

What breaks the barrier of enmeshment in Dicky and Micky’s life is the arrival of Charlene, played by Amy Adams. Normally Amy Adams is played as sweet and innocent – her character in “Catch Me If YouCan,” or more famously in “Enchanted” come to mind. However, here she is a no nonsense street tough bar tender in Lowell. She sees the problem of the family system and starts to disrupt things in a big way. Things start changing, and Micky’s boxing career is right in tow.

So, what makes the movie so good? Well, a number of things really. David O Russell, a filmmaker whom I really enjoy (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) keeps it gritty without being dreadful (I’m looking at you “Brooklyn’s Finest”). Cinematography is up close, with a handheld style that is not overbearing (Rachel Getting Married). Additionally, there is a wise choice to use HBO cameras from the era in which the movie takesplace that provide a classic look to the boxing matches. Then there is the music. Wonderfully – if not perfectly – chosen and implemented songs up the adrenaline that make the final match one in which I literally had to be kept in chair for fear of jumping up and cheering at the fight that takes place. But really, the actors drive it home. The performances make the script go from formulaic and predictable to breathing and living. I have not been this captivated by acting in a long time.

Bottom line - Do we really need another boxing film after Rocky and Raging Bull? Not really – those two films captured the sport in really unique ways. Every film about the sport from then to forever will be compared to those films. But the film isn't merely about boxing in the same way the aforementioned films aren't either. Family systems and drug addiction give the story extra interest. Besides, how many sports movies have been made that all feel like must see inspirational “you already know the ending” types? We love to watch underdogs fight through their battles and come out on top. It’s ingrained in the human narrative –If you try hard enough and commit yourself, you can break through.

Of course, it helps when the people in front of and behind the camera know how to make it all work.