Lightning Review: The Fighter

Synopsis
Boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is an up-and-coming boxer who has been living in the shadow of his half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), a local boxing hero. With his brother as his trainer, Micky hopes to bounce back from a string of defeats and win a title, a feat his brother was never able to accomplish.

Review
I don’t know what it is about boxer movies, but the last several I have watched have been phenomenal. The Fighter doesn’t break that trend. Easily the strongest part of this movie is its supporting cast. Bale, Amy Adams as Charlene Fleming, and Melissa Leo as Alice Ward were fantastic, Bale especially. I think Bale’s portrayal of Dicky Eklund has been his best performance I have seen. The Fighter‘s message about family and never giving up is powerful and comes across without being sententious. Although this is a movie about boxing, not too much time is spent in the ring, except for the final fight. Any time spent inside the ring is used to progress the relationship, or rift, between Micky and his brother. This lack of time spent on boxing matches allows for a tighter focus on character relationships, driving the movie forward. The Fighter has one of the strongest supporting casts of any movie in recent memory and should not be missed by any movie lover.

Rating
4.5/5