The Fighter
Dir: David O. Russell
2010
****
I can't help but feel sorry for Mark Wahlberg. He put some work into this film, he's not the worlds greatest actor but considering his previous efforts, he did rather well I thought and was totally overshadowed by Christian Bale's brilliant performance. Ouch! Still, after you see the clip of the two real life brothers, you understand it is actually perfect casting, he and David O. Russell are obviously friends too after working with each other in most of Russell's films and he has a lot to be grateful for. This film is all about Christian Bale's performance as Dicky Ekland, it's another top performance from him. I thought Melissa Leo was good too but I'm not sure why she and particularly Amy Adams were both nominated but well done to them I guess. What I like best about this film though is that it concentrates on the important element of the story which is the brothers and their relationship with each other, this aspect of the film is handled so well, it's perfect film making. It's not really about the boxing, it could easily have been a metaphor but that only adds to its likability, it's all true, making it a perfect feel good film.