Starring: Mark Whalberg, Christian Bale, & Amy Adams
The Fighter(2010)

What’s It About?
The true story of Micky Ward, a boxer who must overcome challenges in his life in order to achieve success in the ring.


What We Thought:
Nick: The Fighter caught me off guard. From the Oscar buzz I’ve been hearing, I was expecting this big emotional drama that would leave me wanting more. What I got was a solid boxing movie that slightly impressed me. The movie is about the true story of Micky Ward, a Lowell, Massachusetts boxer who works his way from the bottom to the top and fights not only his opponents but his family. His crack addicted brother Dicky (Bale) is living in the past as he trains his brother to be the next big boxer. You can see where this is headed. At times the film feels clichéd. The score and music in the film is uninspired and typical while the story is weak and predictable at times. The only thing that saves the film from mediocrity is the setting and performances.
The film plays very much like a Ben Affleck directed film. The town of Lowell becomes not just the setting of the film but a living, breathing character. You can feel how old the city is and how desperate it is for a new hero. Amy Adams delivers a dynamite performance as Micky’s girlfriend. She seems like the typical barmaid at first, but there is some sort of spark that peeks out every so often that keeps you interested and engaged in the character. Despite the solid cast, it all gets overshadowed whenever Bale is on the screen. He commands your attention as he steps on and your eyes never leave him. His fantastic performance tends to take away from the others, but you never seem to mind. 

Fans of the boxing genre will love it and fans of movies may/may not enjoy it. I really don’t see it winning any awards and if it does I’ll be very surprised. Overall, this is a solid film but it really doesn’t matter whether you see it in theatres or wait for the DVD release.

FTS SCORE:
63%
61-89% = 
Really enjoyable movie. It may not be perfect in all aspects but it was worth the watch.