The Fighter AKA Every other Boxing/Sports Underdog Movie ever made

I went in expecting a snoozy little drama to pass the rest of christmas day and walked out having seen one of the most engaging, entertaining pictures to come out in a good while. my mother in law was throwing little punches in the air rooting micky on. <- that kind of reaction is every movie maker's dream. movie ended to cheering. not applause. cheering.
 
I saw it two weeks ago, it's really really good.

Not at all "Every other Boxing/Sports Underdog Movie ever made".

I'm still trying to decide whether the title character refers to Bale, Wahlberg or them both. In all likelyhood the title is meant to work on all those levels, but I'm leaning towards Bale.

It's also based on real people. You can see the actual documentary featured in the film here:
http://www.snagfilms.com/films/watch/high_on_crack_street_lost_lives_in_lowell/

It's great stuff. Bale's best performance in a long time, and even in the bad films he make he's still great. He makes it seem easy.
 
Great film. First time I've seen Christian Bale steal the show. He deserves the Oscar for Best Supporting this year. Wahlberg was superbly understated as a man domineered by a large family his whole life. This film is a great representation of thesis + antithesis = synthesis as represented by the characters. Cinematography is top notch. Top ten of the year.
 
Also, this film made use of some of the best camera movements I've seen since Rachel Getting Married.
 
I went into this with modest expectations, and I have to say, the film exceeded them. Great performances by Bale, Wahlberg, Leo and Amy Adams. Highly recommended.
 
I couldn't get in to this one guys.

Sure, the performances were good but I just couldn't get pulled into the story. I just didn't care about Walberg's character.

I follow boxing and know the story about Ward, I've seen him in great fights (Burton vs Ward) and saw him get beat badly too, but I just didn't get into it.
 
jkc123 said:
I couldn't get in to this one guys.

Sure, the performances were good but I just couldn't get pulled into the story. I just didn't care about Walberg's character.

I follow boxing and know the story about Ward, I've seen him in great fights (Burton vs Ward) and saw him get beat badly too, but I just didn't get into it.
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I think the film is more about drug abuse than boxing. Bale's character is the protagonist.
 
Jawa Ex Machina said:
I think the film is more about drug abuse than boxing. Bale's character is the protagonist.
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***SPOILERS***
Bale's character is the first and second act soft antagonist, along with the mother. His character does arch into a protagonist, but he's a supporting character. The real story arch follows Wahlberg's character. It's in him that the synthesis between his family and his girlfriend/career occurs as he finds his self confidence after being under the thumb of other his whole life. Wahlberg got upstaged by Bale, but I'm pretty sure that was by design. His character is understated because he had been domineered his whole life by a large family of bigger personalities. That was the foundation of the entire film.
***SPOILERS***
 
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vcassel said:
Bale's character is the first and second act soft antagonist, along with the mother. His character does arch in a protagonist, but he's a supporting character. The real story arch follows Wahlberg's character. It's in him that the synthesis between his family and his girlfriend/career occurs as he finds his self confidence after being under the thumb of other his whole life. Wahlberg got upstaged by Bale, but I'm pretty sure that was by design. His character is understated because he had been domineered his whole life by a large family of bigger personalities. That was the foundation of the entire film.
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****SPOILERS*****

I'm not saying Wahlberg isn't the main character. I just think this is one of those rare occurences where the protagonist and the main character isn't the same person. Wahlberg doesn't really have that big of an arc and he's very passive about every change in his life. Whenever he actually makes a decision it's because he's forced into it either by his mother, his brother, his girlfriend or circumstance (like his brother going to jail or him being set up with that last minute change-fight). Any change in his surroundings, like his family starting to treat him better, comes more from the fact that Bale is a drug addict and the documentary they're making about his habbits than from Wahlberg actually wanting them to happen.

His character works better as the Mentor character for Bale. When he tells Bale he doesn't want him to train him anymore, that's the Mentor dying. Bale is the one going into "the cave" (prison) where he goes through "the ordeal" (the documentary being shown). The title refers to him fighting the drug habbit more than being a boxer.

Even when Wahlberg is in the boxing ring, we follow Bale in prison and his emotional reaction to Wahlberg's fight.

Remember the first scene in the film? Wahlberg interviewed on the couch? The first thing that happens is Bale coming in and dominating the scene. It's Bale's scene right then and there. In the end, we follow Bale's decision to kick the habbit and the final scene is actually Bale on the couch.

By pretending to focus on Wahlberg they managed to make an anti-drug film without being preachy about it. Pretty well executioned too.

*****END SPOILERS****
 
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Jawa Ex Machina said:
Wahlberg doesn't really have that big of an arc and he's very passive about every change in his life. Whenever he actually makes a decision it's because he's forced into it either by his mother, his brother, his girlfriend or circumstance (like his brother going to jail or him being set up with that last minute change-fight). Any change in his surroundings, like his family starting to treat him better, comes more from the fact that Bale is a drug addict and the documentary they're making about his habbits than from Wahlberg actually wanting them to happen.
Click to expand...

***SPOILERS***
Wahlberg is passive throughout the first half of the film, but his inner turmoil with the situation rises until the break into the 3rd act when he actively triggers the synthesis between his family (thesis) and girlfriend/trainer/manager (antithesis). IMO only the main protagonist can do that.

His character works better as the Mentor character for Bale. When he tells Bale he doesn't want him to train him anymore, that's the Mentor dying. Bale is the one going into "the cave" (prison) where he goes through "the ordeal" (the documentary being shown). The title refers to him fighting the drug habbit more than being a boxer.

Even when Wahlberg is in the boxing ring, we follow Bale in prison and his emotional reaction to Wahlberg's fight.

Remember the first scene in the film? Wahlberg interviewed on the couch? The first thing that happens is Bale coming in and dominating the scene. It's Bale's scene right then and there. In the end, we follow Bale's decision to kick the habbit and the final scene is actually Bale on the couch.
Click to expand...

And in the mirror closing shot the theme is more or less openly stated in how the focal point transitioned from Bale to Wahlberg, by Wahlberg's actions. I don't believe this film follows 'The Hero's Journey' very closely at all, and that's why it's an effective film. Bale is the mentor, but he also shares the emotional heart of the film with Wahlberg. They're mirrors fighting for control of the film. Wahlberg's arch is that he takes it; Bale's arch is that he gives it up, but it's all designed to get Wahlberg where he wants (champion fighter) and needs (in control of his life and recognized by his family) to be. Bale is also symbolic of the antagonistic force in the film which has made Wahlberg into the passive yes man controlled by his family.
***SPOILERS***
 
i just saw it this weekend, and i must say it was good..i didn't want to spend any money to watch Wahlberg but he was good and Bale was great! you know the lil f@#$%^ never once looked me in the eye when i raised his hand(about 20 times) and when i pushed him in the corner and saying "back to the neutral corner Mickey" then between takes he was pounding on his friend(that was one of the fighters in the montage of fights) fooling around but hitting him hard cracking his ribs and swelling his eye enough for me to put some ice and a quarter on it to stop the swelling so they could finish the fight scene. geesh his friend is an idiot for taking such abuse and Wahlberg is a punk as far as i am concerned. but hey i gots paid ...but they cut my lines out! sooo now i'm gonna talk sh@# about him! hahahahahahaha
 
Here is a really good interview with Mark Wahlberg about how it got made, actually he leaves out most of the challenges in the 5+ years it took, if you guys only knew. This film could win an Oscar from just the producing story that Marks peers are all familiar with. I did meet Micky & Dicky at the after party the night of the premiere in LA.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/11/oscar-qa-mark-wahlberg-on-the-fighter/
 
I absolutely loved this movie... I didn't want it to end. That's the first movie I've seen this year where I can say that... all the others (including the oscar contenders) had me thinking "good, but enough"... not this one... I could have watched another hour of it.

I wish I could still be annoyed by the Bale outburst thing... but man... that dude is an amazing actor.
 
Like everyone else who mentioned it, I too went in with medium expectations and was WOWED! This was a very good movie and boy, second to American Pshycho this is by far the best I've seen Bale. I too didn't want this film to end. Now I'm curious to see that HBO doc.
 
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