The Fighter (2010) ****

The only way to start explaining The Fighter is to say "Imagine Rocky if he had his family lumbering around running his career." Mark Wahlberg plays Mickey Ward, a boxer on the verge of being over the hill. Mickey's considered a stepping stone for other fighters to pummel on their way to fortune and glory. Mickey's brother Dickie (Christian Bale) is a local legend who acts as a trainer for his brother. Dickie has also developed a crack addiction that is spiraling out of control. The family controls Mickey's career, but it soon seems that he's just a piece of meat while Dickie still rides on past glories. The eventual crash is set up almost from the beginning.


Did Bale deserve the Oscar? Of course he did. There's no screaming "Hey, it's Patrick Bateman!" or "Hey, it's Batman!" while watching this film. Bale morphs into the role of Dickie Ecklund. It's an amazing performance that should be highlighted as one of the best from the last decade, let alone the last year. 


The funny thing is that art imitates life in that Bale's performance has overshadowed Mark Wahlbergs outstanding performance. He's a man torn between his family and what he wants. Props also go to Amy Adams as Mickey's girlfriend, going from the bubble gum films of yesteryear to deliver a gritty performance of a bar maid from the streets of Lowell, Massachusetts.


It's not really a perfect film, but the performances out do the issues with the story. The acting acts like an eraser. A good movie with terrific performances.