Plot: Micky (Mark Wahlberg) is a prize-fighter, who he is coached by his troubled brother Dicky, (Christian Bale) and managed by his Mom Alice (Melissa Leo.) After losing for a long time, Micky meets a new girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams,) who encourages him to break with his crack-addicted brother and get a new trainer.
Review: The Fighter is a family-drama with a boxing theme. The mother and brothers play out soap opera scenes intermixed with fight scenes. The most interesting part is the trouble character of Dicky and the relationship between the brothers.
[Minor spoiler] The fight scenes are predictable where Micky gets battered in the beginning of all the fights and then comes back in an unlikely way at the end.
I liked Mark Wahlberg's performance, and he was the best part of the movie. While some of the other roles may have been difficult technically, I was unimpressed.
This movie does not have the soul of the first Rocky movie, perhaps it is like Raging Bull -- another critical hit that I did not care for. This is based on the true story of Irish "Micky" Ward.
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams
Directed by: David O Russell
Rating: 2.5 stars; Good acting; predictable plot; not fun-to-watch.
More: Wished I had seen something else.
