Well-acted ‘Fighter’ goes the distance

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale in "The Fighter" Micky (Mark Wahlberg) gets some pickup notes from his half-brother trainer (Christian Bale) in Mark O. Russell’s family drama “The Fighter.”

David O. Russell’s energized domestic drama “The Fighter” would be more accurately titled “The Fighters,” because it’s not really about a single pugilist, but an entire Massachusetts family of no-nonsense scrappers and offensive hitters.

If anything, Mark Wahlberg’s titular fighter Micky Ward is the least interesting character in the lineup.

An emaciated Christian Bale mops the boxing ring floor with him as Ward’s half-brother and trainer, Dicky Ecklund, an ingratiatingly entertaining guy fighting his own rounds with alcohol and crack addiction. (Bale dropped significant weight for the role, popped in some bad teeth and receded his hairline for his frightening and effective transformation.)

The perky Amy Adams packs on a few pounds and a whole new street attitude as Micky’s girlfriend Charlene, a tough bartender who doesn’t need a man to fight her battles.

Then there’s the amazing Melissa Leo. who almost didn’t take the role of Micky’s iron-willed manager/mother Alice. Leo fleshes out the one-note part into an entire symphony of control, pride, manipulation and guilt.

The fact-based “Fighter” is barely fueled by plot, which loosely follows Micky from his modest beginnings as a promising welterweight into his eventual victory in the ring, an ideal stopping point for any boxing motion picture.

Russell’s drama scripted by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson shows us enough boxing sequences to feed our expectations, but is far more interested in the dynamics of its characters outside the ring. (Read more…)

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