The Fighter (2010)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

You hate your family.Alright.You love your girlfriend.Alright.Your girlfriend wants you to be champ.Alright.And your family loves your brother.Alright.But you love and respect your brother and your whole life gets upside down.Its not alright.And your bother who was a drug addict wants your girlfriend to be convinced about the fact that he is normal enough to train you.Its alright.Now mix all these and prepare a theme which must be alright.The director just hits that Bulls Eyes.If you love redemption movies, this is sure bet for you.Love the moments in the movie and never actually wanted it to finish off.One of the finest redemption movies ever made.Just watch it in case you missed like me to know how much you love your girlfriend, your family and above all your your brother who might not still possess the awe inspiring thing in him.A must watch...

On the rise to fame and success, a young boxer must decide whether to continue training with his family or seek professional training and management elsewhere in this sports drama based on true events. Mark Wahlberg is solid as the conflicted boxer in question and Amy Adams does well cast-against-type as his foul-mouthed bartender girlfriend, but is Christian Bale who steals every scene he is in as Wahlberg's older brother. A former boxing legend himself, Bale has delusions of grandeur and believes that the TV crew who have recently arrived to film him are making a documentary about his long awaited comeback when in reality they are making a film about his descent into heroine addiction. The overall film fascinatingly follows this structure too, opening with a lot of focus on Bale, only for Wahlberg to be eventually revealed as the true star (what a great metaphor for Bale's character coming to realise that not everything is about him). Melissa Leo also gets quite a bit of screen time as the brothers' overbearing mother, however, the rest of the family are disappointingly barely fleshed out all, including Jack McGee as Wahlberg's father, who could have been quite interesting given that he actually sides with Adams about his son's career. As for the sisters, they are all interchangeable stereotypes. This is, however, principally a film about the brothers and their every interaction is compelling. The end credits are also worth watching here for appearances by the brothers whose lives the film was based on - Dicky and Micky Ward.

"Whatcha gonna do without your family?"Every ambitious young man has felt the constraint. Maybe it is their hometown. Maybe it is their family. Maybe it is their friends.Irish Micky Ward is no different. In this 2010 modern pull yourself up by your bootstraps, Mark Wahlberg shines as the overshadowed half brother of the Pride of Lowell. Just like in the retelling, most scenes are downright stolen by Dicky played by the incredible Christian Bale. His complicated character appears first and last in the film. From the opening scenes of Dicky shamelessly showboating to his rocky path toward disregard, Director David O Russell's brilliant juxtaposition packs a blow. Just as quickly as Dicky seems put together, his goofy mannerisms are framed with heartbreaking vice and seemingly unkickable addiction.It is not just Dicky, but the whole unit around Micky that closes in. Just went it settles in, the film changes on a dime. No longer about Dicky's elusive comeback (seems so simple in retrospect), Russell seamlessly tells the audience the real story underneath. And like all good stories, a girl changes the calculation. After working up the guts to ask out the local bartender Charlene, it is the girl that clinches the interest. Nursing wounded pride, Charlene seeks out Micky after he apparently stands her up. It is not long before the inescapable hometown sings her less than desirable praises (she's into all girl manage a trois!) As soon as her views deviate from the family, the insults get sharper before the family brands her as unworthy. Still, Micky wonders what he can possibly do without his family.Russell in his steady direction could have settled into the story we know. The slow rise to the top with some minor speed bumps but nothing to derail him. That doesn't happen. Instead, even with the predictable path there are moments of surprise and uncertainty. More than anything though, the story continues to be about "Welcome Home" and what exactly that means. It could mean a drug house of dangerous temptations or it can be a career limiting place where demons need to be extinguished. With careful aplomb the film reaches the third act. The heart usually resides here. With conflicting the woman who makes him strong and the family that keeps up his core, Russell again shows a well known story into a cohesive unit. Micky had to determine what makes him great while still transcending their inherent limitations. Boxing films for the modern viewer can be very simple. Keep some of the standard fare and clichés that create timelessness. Tell the old story like its fresh. With dynamic performances, spectacular pacing and masterful storytelling, Russell accomplishes this brave new trail. By its satisfying conclusion you realize there are few instances of the incredible. There's no over the top heroism here. Nor is there any pressure to suspend your belief It is simply a boxer, taking a risk and willingly leaving the comforts of the familiar. With that, you cannot lose. The Fighter is a knockout (sorry I had to).

Powered by terrific performances from its cast, The Fighter also happens to be David O. Russell's best film to date that may not rank amongst the finest examples of its genre but it still serves as a competently crafted sports biopic that's less about the sport & more about the athlete, his family & his path to redemption.The story of The Fighter follows the life of professional boxer Micky Ward who withdraws from the boxing world after suffering a humiliating defeat in a match he already had reservations about. The plot chronicles the journey he takes to get back into the ring while focusing on his relationship with his brother whose own life has taken a self-destructive route.Directed by David O. Russell (best known for Silver Linings Playbook & American Hustle), the story journeys the same route that majority of boxing films tend to take plus also falls flat in between on a few occasions but what infuses a vibrant energy into it is the rich set of interesting characters it packs in & a talented ensemble that brings those characters to life with finesse.The boxing sequences are brilliantly choreographed and do provide the necessary adrenaline high when it matters but this picture is more focused on the relationship between the two brothers and illustrates it amazingly well, for those moments do pack a powerful punch. But it also suffers from letting it characters go a bit overboard at times, something that has become a norm in O. Russell's films of lately.Coming to the performances, the cast comprises of Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Christian Bale & Melissa Leo, with Bale & Leo impressing the most. It's not that the input by leading cast falls short in any aspect, it's just that Bale & Leo take their supporting characters to a different level, and the Academy Award they won for their respective works in this feature film is definitely an earned one.On an overall scale, The Fighter is no genre masterpiece but it still offers a sufficiently entertaining ride that will leave majority of its viewers satisfied in the end. It's not without its shortcomings but most of them get brushed away by the powerful, explosive & riveting performances delivered by its ensemble. The story isn't memorable by any means but what Bale & Leo pull off here will continue to reverberate for a few more years down the line.