Weinstein

R 116 min

I’m a big fan of boxing movies. The mano a mano at the heart of the sport makes it the ideal subject for a tale of triumph and redemption. THE FIGHTER is more than a boxing fable though, it’s based on the real life saga of two brothers from the other side of the tracks.

Hailing from the slums of Lowell Massachusetts, welterweight Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale) coulda been a contender. In fact he was and actually did pretty well in a shot at the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. Sadly his career was cut short not by anything occurring in the ring but by a knockout from the scourge of the inner city, the crack pipe. His life is spiraling out of control and he’s dragging his friends and family along with him.

HBO sports has been shooting a documentary about Dickie and everyone assumes it’s going to be about his comeback. In a particularly sad scene as his fellow prison inmates as well as everyone from his hometown settle in to watch it becomes obvious that it’s not really about his comeback but instead his crack addiction and subsequent downfall.

One victim of this decline is his half brother “Irish” Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) a talented boxer in his own right whose career is being hampered by the management of his dysfunctional family.

He passes up on real opportunity because of his allegiance to his older brother and nutty mother.

Only the marketing team thinks this is a Mark Wahlberg film. Though he’s competent in his role, it’s Christian Bale who steals this show with a truly heavyweight performance.

It’s tough gritty and riveting, and while it’s not ROCKY it’s a damn good film.

B+

WSS

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