Movie Review: THE FIGHTER

I’ve been a fan of boxer Micky Ward for years, thanks in large part to his three epic battles with fellow pugilist Arturo Gatti. These two warriors would have made Winston Churchill proud with their “Never give up, Never surrender” style of fighting.

Little did I know all the obstacles Micky’s own family placed on him as his early boxing career languished in the shadow of his popular drug addict half-brother, Dicky Eklund., whose main claim to fame was a flash knockdown of Sugar Ray Leonard in a 1978 bout.

While Mark Wahlberg did a nice job in his portrayal of Micky Ward, it didn’t really test his acting chops as much as his ability to fake/take a few pokes in the chops.

Christian Bale was another matter entirely. I never liked his raspy-voiced take on the Batman character and I thought his performance as John Connor in Terminator Salvation was mediocre. But, I didn’t even recognize him in his first few scenes in The Fighter. Bale completely transformed himself from leading man into the character of Micky Eklund, and I wasn’t at all surprised when he won the 2011 SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Melissa Leo also won as Best Supporting Actress for her sometimes hilarious, and sometimes maddening, performance as Micky Ward’s domineering mother/manager. I suspect that she and Bale will both be tough to beat in the upcoming Academy Awards, just as the real Micky Ward was tough to beat inside the boxing ring.