The Fighter

The Fighter

That could not have been me watching the championship fighting and cheering for Micky Ward. I hate boxing. I have resisted watching this film. I knew I would be sitting there with my hands over my eyes (which I did).

At the same time I have to admit that the acting is superb. Micky Ward ( MarkWahlberg) went on to win championship boxing bouts against all odds.

His brother Dicky (Christian Bale) had aspirations to be a champ. He didn’t make it but was coaching his younger brother Mickie. Dickie obviously had suffered from punches to the head. He was missing teeth. He was on drugs. He had shaky leg syndrome. You wouldn’t call him a gentleman.

Dicky and Micky had a slew of sisters. They were really a piece of work. Costumes and makeup must have had fun with these characters. The mother was the manager. She wore tight clothes and had a mouth like a sewer. Actually the family was quite a riot.

Dicky goes to jail and Micky takes up with a different trainer. The film largely deals with the interpersonal relationships in the family. That part is fascinating.

Micky falls for the cute young girl working at the bar. The part is played by Amy Adams. She really is superb with her accent and trashy mouth.

I have to admire the story because it is true. Everybody loves a story where the underdog rises to the surface as a winner. At the end of the film the real brothers briefly appear on the screen. At the recent SAG awards Christian Bale accepted his prize as best supporting actor. The real Dickie Ward came up on stage and looked like he didn’t ever want to leave.

The film is up for several Oscars and we will just have to wait and see if it winds anything. It is an excellent film but there some heavy duty boxing scenes.