This movie, about the boxing legend “Irish” Mickey Ward played by Mark Wahlberg, is not one to be missed. Unpredictable and classic, this story delves into the life of Mickey’s ride to glory, marshaled by his half-brother Dicky, played by Christian Bale. Christian Bale’s role in this movie is incredible.
His character is a crack addict and still drowning in his own legend, of being the “Pride of Lowell.” Amy Adams, playing Mickey’s girlfriend, did an amazing job as well. Different from her usual roles, her character adds to the movie in a way only Amy can.
The first half of the movie consists of Dicky’s rise and fall in the boxing community and his battle with drugs. In a heartbreaking documentary, Dicky shows the world exactly what being down for the count really means.
But when Dicky is sent to jail, Mickey picks his gloves and starts to fight his own way, seemingly pushing his family away. When a big fight stands in his path, contrary to what his trainers want, he goes to see Dicky. When Dicky gets out of jail, all hell breaks loose, as Dicky wants to train him. Dicky has been giving Mickey advice for as long as they can both remember while their mother Alice has been acting as his manager. Mickey knows it’s time for a change if he expects to make a serious impact in the boxing world. Unfortunately, a crack addicted brother and a mother who thinks she’s helping his career have both been holding him back for far too long.
The film also wastes some time trying to capture your attention. Thankfully, there are little bits of humor thrown in for good measure amongst all of the family brawling and knockout punches being thrown, making it easy to get lost in the film. In parts, it felt like the viewer was a part of the documentary crew while filming Dicky watching his star burn out in person.
Sadly, the one negative about the movie is that the film ends prematurely. Even though the plot does come together nicely, the ending doesn’t feel as fully gratifying as expected. Premature ending aside, The Fighter has definitely made its mark in films. A must see for the boxer inside of us all.