The Fighter Lacks a Knockout Punch

About a week ago, I decided on a whim I felt well enough to go to the movies. These days I need to go while the cinematic iron is hot, so off I went. I chose a local cinema I infrequently attend. This particular theater is usually empty, which I find helpful. Sometimes you accidently talk to the screen, and it’s much better if there’s no one else to hear.

The film I chose was “The Fighter”, a Best Picture favorite. I expected a well-written, well-acted character study. I wasn’t far off the mark; it is all of those things. But the thing I didn’t know was that it’s also well-tread. This is cinematic ground I’ve walked on before, and although it’s a solid film, it’s not Best Picture caliber.

“The Fighter” is based upon a true story (translate as part fact and part dramatic license) about the relationship between Dickie (Christian Bale) and Micky (Mark Wahlberg) Ward, two Boston brothers dreaming of boxing glory. Dickie had his shot and has since fallen into drug addiction. Micky is on his way up the ranks but needs a fresh start and a clean break. The girlfriend/catalyst is Charlene (Amy Adams), who forces Micky to examine his family and his life.

However, the film lacks a certain focus. The protagonist switches between the two brothers, and that makes it a bit convoluted. For me, the highlights of the film are the scenes with Wahlberg and Adams. Adams is an outstanding supporting actress, and I’m sure she’ll be nominated for her performance. But I can’t say either Wahlberg or Bale is really the lead. As far as Bale goes, he’s serviceable, but I’ve seen Bale already undergo a massive weight loss in order to play a role. He looks and sounds like an addict, but at times he’s just annoying.

And speaking of annoying, let me add a small rant about Melissa Leo. I saw Leo in “Frozen River” and thought she was nothing special. Here I just want to smack her through the entire film. I know she’s supposed to be Boston in the 80s, but to me she seems like cliched Jersey – too much hair and not enough substance. I felt nothing for her. I just wanted her (and the rest of the “family”) to go away – their presence detracts from the main story so greatly that the film would have been served by leaving most of those scenes on the cutting room floor. The sisters are even worse.

But as Micky has his final fight, I couldn’t help but cheer. It helps I didn’t know the story going in, so I honestly didn’t know if he won or not. Now I understand why people cheer for “Rocky” so much – a film I’ve always thought was overrated.

In spite of its faults, “The Fighter” is a good movie, just not a great one. And I still feel that Boston was better served by Ben Affleck’s “The Town”.