Review : The Fighter

There's the obligatory -- I guess you could say predictable -- moment when the film's main guy played by Mark Wahlberg, is getting it handed to him in the supposed climax of the film and he suddenly finds the energy to turns things around. I'm not giving anything away. Like I said before, this happens in every boxing movie. (If it doesn't, please feel free to correct me.) My problem with the scene isn't its predictability. My problem with the particular moment I've described is that it looks fake. It looks choreographed. Heck, the screams from the crowd, when he begins fighting back in that good ol' heroic fashion, don't even sound authentic. And I'm pretty sure some of the rest of the fight looks awkward in a this-is-being-filmed-for-a-movie kind of way.

Or have I not seen enough boxing to tell the difference between a film fight and an actual fight? It's possible. But that's what I saw watching this movie. And it annoyed me.

The rest of the film, I'm happy to say, is pretty darn good. The performances in particular, are eye-opening. Mark Wahlberg, whose voice and line-delivery I tend to despise, actually nails it. (I'll give part credit to David O. Russell who also directed Walhberg in one of my favourite films from the 90s, Three Kings, and managed to squeeze out a relatively decent performance from him then too.) Amy Adams rocks as usual. She's feisty and adorable. In a white-trashy, black bra and panties kind of way. I surprisingly liked Melissa Leo a lot more here than in Frozen River. But Mr. Bale. Mr. Bale. You give one hell of a performance here. Emotionally, physically, vocally, you give one of the best performances of your career. Whole staircases up from what you gave us in Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies. You stole every scene you were in. Except the ones with those girls who played your sisters. Bestial hell bitches. Were they ever fun to watch.

Sure the film is Oscar bait. Its based on a true story and the real guys are shown during the end credits. Its the season's requisite underdog story. But the performances elevate it. This is a film to watch because all the actors are dedicated. No one calls it in. And the story feels surprisingly fresh for one about a boxer trying to make it good. Actually, a couple of boxers. This movie is as much about brotherhood, and about family in general, than it is about boxing. It's about fighting on a lot of levels. I'd even say it has more poignant things to say about failure than it does about winning.

So should I forgive the fight scenes?

If I can get past fight scenes that don't seem to work, in a film called, The Fighter, then I'll lay the forgiveness on thick and maybe even some lovin'. I may even watch it again, especially if Bale gets his much-deserved Oscar.

Maybe.