If you want to see one of the most honest films of 2010, look no further than The Fighter. In telling the true story of Irish boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), all parties involved in the making of this motion picture have done remarkable things. With preconceived notions regarding boxing pictures aside, The Fighter is a film that takes it’s cues from films of the past while still reinventing itself to give itself cinematic integrity. To avoid confusing anyone, I am not declaring this film to be the new Rocky, or Raging Bull. I think it deserves to be in a class of it’s own, much like that of Ward’s real-life struggles to become a champion.
Although it may be its Achilles heel, I hope more people decide to make trailers like they did for The Fighter. It’s unassuming and it doesn’t unveil too much of the drama that the film encounters. It still piques one’s interest, through acknowledging it’s well-versed cast and the past achievements of director David O. Russell. At the same time, it doesn’t want to have everything out there. It wants you to be shocked and surprised by what it is capable of revealing. Considering how long The Fighter has been out, and how much attention it’s received during award season, I think it’s fair to acknowledge some of these attributes at this point.
If you want to see one of the most honest films of 2010, look no further than The Fighter. In telling the true story of Irish boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), all parties involved in the making of this motion picture have done remarkable things. With preconceived notions regarding boxing pictures aside, The Fighter is a film that takes it’s cues from films of the past while still reinventing itself to give itself cinematic integrity. To avoid confusing anyone, I am not declaring this film to be the new Rocky, or Raging Bull. I think it deserves to be in a class of it’s own, much like that of Ward’s real-life struggles to become a champion.
Although it may be its Achilles heel, I hope more people decide to make trailers like they did for The Fighter. It’s unassuming and it doesn’t unveil too much of the drama that the film encounters. It still piques one’s interest, through acknowledging it’s well-versed cast and the past achievements of director David O. Russell. At the same time, it doesn’t want to have everything out there. It wants you to be shocked and surprised by what it is capable of revealing. Considering how long The Fighter has been out, and how much attention it’s received during award season, I think it’s fair to acknowledge some of these attributes at this point.
Let’s begin with the performances. Wahlberg goes through transformations throughout all of the film. He goes from small and unassuming, to callow and overweight, to fierce and confident in all of his demeanors as Ward. This level of dedication to tell this story is inspiring. It makes sense considering this film has been a passion project of Wahlberg’s for several years. After two times working with director David O. Russell, I think they’ve discovered kindred creative spirits in one another.
Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and the collection of Irish actresses that portray the Ward family bring all of the female counterparts wonderfully to life. Leo is the possessive mother who thinks she has Ward’s best interests at heart, but still can’t get over the past accomplishments of her other son, Dick Ecklund (Christian Bale). Adams is the woman who sets the romantic subplot into motion. Adams plays the role with reserve, telling more than she can through her fists and a mouthful of profane sentiments. Her character is a woman who never got past being a bartender, and always dreamed of more. She may be trying to live vicariously through Ward, but it’s much more than that. She sees premonitions in every patron at the bar, and she fears she may be in far too deep to get out at this point. The actresses who portray Micky’s half-dozen sisters are phenomenal. There is an entire vernacular among them, and intense loyalty to one another, to their family and to their mother. I cant even really explain how it happens, but they know how to utilize their time on screen to inevitably become one of the most memorable parts of The Fighter.
The real accolades belong to Christian Bale, as I imagine you have heard by this point. In his role as Dick Ecklund, there is no denying the craft in use. He is Dick Eklund–every bit of pain, supplemented through an intense drug addiction, and a sadness that looms over him as he relives his one glorious moment of knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard. As the film begins, we are led to think a documentary crew is following the brothers around to chronicle Ecklund’s comeback. In actuality, they are there to present an unrelenting look into the realities of crack addiction. As did Wahlberg, Bale goes through severe changes in The Fighter. At the start, he is scrawny, but still somehow obtains the adoration of his younger brother. After a stint in jail, he has fully kicked the habit and there is more life in his bones than you could ever have imagined at the start. This makes every monologue and every line of dialogue that much more believable. We witness his redemption, and by being taken on that journey, we understand why Ward’s success as a champion was that much more important. Although, this is not the first time Bale has lost weight for a role (see The Machinist), this is a far superior film. It’s a wonder to watch him on screen and even more so as you get to see video of the real Eklund at the end. It makes you realize how much method went into his performance. It’s ridiculous.
Besides obvious camera tricks, Russell has always been an innovator with how he visually interacts with his material. In Three Kings, he had shots that showed the path of a bullet entering someone’s insides. In I Heart Huckabees, he tried to break apart the cerebral nature of philosophy and help us all visualize the groundwork and concepts laid by philosophers of the past. I will admit that there isn’t anything nearly that obviously ambitious in The Fighter, but at the same time, it is that ambitious. With the exception of the local fights that Ward is involved in, Russell chose to shoot all of the major fights in the way you would view them on ESPN or HBO. The graininess is intact, and it feels like you could be watching this at home or from a barstool. What The Fighter has to gain from this is that it puts us even more in the role of the audience as a whole. Russell removes that separation that could compromise our investment to the characters and the story. With the fights having been shot in this style, I felt a sense of tension and astonishment in each blow and each victory. It’s a simple trait to administer to a very well-thought out film like The Fighter, but it is still as effective as any of the vicious physical or emotional blows seen on screen.
I’ve now seen The Fighter twice in theaters, for no other reason than that I enjoy the experience of watching it. The performances caught me off guard both times. On second viewing, even though I was aware of the outcome, I still found myself reeled into the journey to get there, even more completely than the first time. This probably won’t be the film to get Russell any directing accolades. However, it is meant to highlight its players, and that, it is exceptional. This year has been full of intoxicating performances by many actors. I truly acknowledge each one for their greatness, but my mind is still fixed on how far Christian Bale went to give us a rattling performance for the ages.
