Blu ray movie review of The Fighter

April 25, 2011

Without any previous knowledge about Micky Ward, you might find The Fighter to be a standard sports movie. The story of down and out underdog making it big is nothing new to the genre. However, if you are a boxing fan or a sports fan in general, you can’t help but love this movie. I recall all 3 Ward Vs. Gatti fights. They were 3 of the most epic boxing matches in recent memory. If you were a fan before the movie, you will most likely love the true story based on Micky Ward. While there are some embellishments, the movie stays fairly true to the overall life story of Micky Ward.

The plot is taken from the life story of Micky Ward. While it is a boxing movie, the most of the movie is about Micky’s relationship with his family. The story of his overbearing mother and his drug addict half brother who trains him in boxing. Micky’s brother, Dicky Eklund, is a local hero who used to box. However, he gets hooked on drugs and drags down Micky’s career. Micky decides to take control of his life with help of his girlfriend. While all this is fairly straight forward, the performances of the lead actors and actress set this movie apart from other typical sports movie.

Brilliant performances by Mark Wahlbert, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo are the reason why this is such a great movie. The stark contrast between Bale’s Batman role and the strung out addict in this movie is incredible. You will not recognize Bale at first. Mark Wahlbert is terrific as Micky Ward. The family conflict between the mother and brother is the main subject of the movie and such made great by the lead actors. One problem I had with the movie is the complete lack of Ward Vs. Gatti moments. While Micky Ward story is so much more than Gatti fight, the Gattif fight is what most people are familiar with. Never the less, The Fighter is one of the better sports movie in a while.

What do you think about this movie? Please leave your thoughts below.