The Fighter
Academy Award × 2
Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.
What critics thought
The Fighter earned broad approval on the strength of its ensemble — Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams draw most of the heat, while Mark Wahlberg's Micky Ward is the one critics kept circling back to as the weak link. The central complaint isn't the boxing or the direction but that the film never makes you feel enough about its own protagonist, leaving the climax landing as resolution rather than catharsis.
“In a little festival of tart, savory performances, notably from Melissa Leo as the boys' mother and Amy Adams as Micky's girlfriend, Bale shines the brightest, because he knows that no character, however depraved his status, is only a monster. He finds beauty in the beast”
Richard Corliss·Time
“Because we aren't deeply invested in Micky, we don't care as much as we should, and the film ends on a note that should be triumph but feels more like simple conclusion.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
“what's missing are stakes and soul, with the director's attention split between working-class elegy and white-trash caricature, but missing the big picture.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“the film plays as if Russell and screenwriters Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson couldn't decide if they wanted to go the 'Rocky' route and emphasize the sport's brutal nature or play up the family's larger relationship issues”
Eric Kohn·IndieWire
Genres
Action, Biography, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorDavid O. Russell
StarringMark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Mickey O'Keefe
ComposerMichael Brook
The Fighter
Academy Award × 2
Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.
What critics thought
The Fighter earned broad approval on the strength of its ensemble — Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams draw most of the heat, while Mark Wahlberg's Micky Ward is the one critics kept circling back to as the weak link. The central complaint isn't the boxing or the direction but that the film never makes you feel enough about its own protagonist, leaving the climax landing as resolution rather than catharsis.
“In a little festival of tart, savory performances, notably from Melissa Leo as the boys' mother and Amy Adams as Micky's girlfriend, Bale shines the brightest, because he knows that no character, however depraved his status, is only a monster. He finds beauty in the beast”
Richard Corliss·Time
“Because we aren't deeply invested in Micky, we don't care as much as we should, and the film ends on a note that should be triumph but feels more like simple conclusion.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
“what's missing are stakes and soul, with the director's attention split between working-class elegy and white-trash caricature, but missing the big picture.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“the film plays as if Russell and screenwriters Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson couldn't decide if they wanted to go the 'Rocky' route and emphasize the sport's brutal nature or play up the family's larger relationship issues”
Eric Kohn·IndieWire
Genres
Action, Biography, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorDavid O. Russell
StarringMark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Mickey O'Keefe
ComposerMichael Brook