THE FIGHTER
***
Director: David O. Russell
Screenwriters: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
Principal cast:
Mark Wahlberg
Christian Bale
Melissa Leo
Amy Adams
Mickey O’Keefe
Jack McGee
Country: USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 116 mins.
Australian release date: 26 January 2011
Set in Lowell, Massachusetts, David O. Russell’s, The Fighter, is based on the true story of ‘Irish’ Micky Ward’s (Mark Wahlberg) road to gaining the light heavyweight boxing title. He is trained by his half-brother Dickie (Christian Bale), who has a history of drug abuse, not just any ol’ drug, but crack. Dickie lives with the past reputation of having knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard. However, the truth is, Leonard tripped… nothing in Dickie’s life is what it is thought to be or, at least, what he thinks it to be.
All fighters need a manager and Micky’s happens to be his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), who is the mom from hell. In a performance which should bring her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Leo does what she does so well, playing white trash with panache. It is going to be interesting to see whether she gazumps Jackie Weaver on Oscar night. Jackie unforgettably played a similar ‘mom from hell’ in Animal Kingdom.
Apart from his brother, Mickey’s family of half-siblings include seven sisters with names like Pork, Tar, Red Dog and Beaver, who are like watching a pack of rabid dogs waiting to pounce. In one memorable scene Micky’s girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams) turns on one of the girls threatening to tear out her ‘awful’ hair. And it is not just the hairdos that leave you cringing. Adams is excellent as the girl who is jockeying for position in a family of reprobates.
The film is based on a true story; during the end credits we see the real characters played by Wahlberg and Bale and it is uncanny how well cast they were. Bale transformed himself for the role, losing a lot of weight and by the look of his scalp, a lot of hair as well. While Wahlberg delivers, Bale is mesmerizing as the skanky drug addict who believes that HBO are making a documentary on his career only to find out, when he is in prison, that it is in fact a film about his drug abuse. I predict that Bale should also get an Oscar.
This is not Rocky, or The Wrestler, but it is just as watchable. You don’t have to be a fight fan to get into this story. The Fighter is one of the best performance films you are likely to see this year and, judging by the preview audience’s reaction, it is a crowd pleaser. I strongly suggest you get a ticket ringside.
Screenwriters: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
Principal cast:
Mark Wahlberg
Christian Bale
Melissa Leo
Amy Adams
Mickey O’Keefe
Jack McGee
Country: USA
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 116 mins.
Australian release date: 26 January 2011
Set in Lowell, Massachusetts, David O. Russell’s, The Fighter, is based on the true story of ‘Irish’ Micky Ward’s (Mark Wahlberg) road to gaining the light heavyweight boxing title. He is trained by his half-brother Dickie (Christian Bale), who has a history of drug abuse, not just any ol’ drug, but crack. Dickie lives with the past reputation of having knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard. However, the truth is, Leonard tripped… nothing in Dickie’s life is what it is thought to be or, at least, what he thinks it to be.
All fighters need a manager and Micky’s happens to be his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), who is the mom from hell. In a performance which should bring her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Leo does what she does so well, playing white trash with panache. It is going to be interesting to see whether she gazumps Jackie Weaver on Oscar night. Jackie unforgettably played a similar ‘mom from hell’ in Animal Kingdom.
Apart from his brother, Mickey’s family of half-siblings include seven sisters with names like Pork, Tar, Red Dog and Beaver, who are like watching a pack of rabid dogs waiting to pounce. In one memorable scene Micky’s girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams) turns on one of the girls threatening to tear out her ‘awful’ hair. And it is not just the hairdos that leave you cringing. Adams is excellent as the girl who is jockeying for position in a family of reprobates.
The film is based on a true story; during the end credits we see the real characters played by Wahlberg and Bale and it is uncanny how well cast they were. Bale transformed himself for the role, losing a lot of weight and by the look of his scalp, a lot of hair as well. While Wahlberg delivers, Bale is mesmerizing as the skanky drug addict who believes that HBO are making a documentary on his career only to find out, when he is in prison, that it is in fact a film about his drug abuse. I predict that Bale should also get an Oscar.
This is not Rocky, or The Wrestler, but it is just as watchable. You don’t have to be a fight fan to get into this story. The Fighter is one of the best performance films you are likely to see this year and, judging by the preview audience’s reaction, it is a crowd pleaser. I strongly suggest you get a ticket ringside.