The Fighter

A typically underwhelming effort from David O. Russell, The Fighter follows aspiring pugilist Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) as he attempts to establish himself as a professional boxer – with his efforts assisted (and hindered) by his fighter-turned-junkie brother (Christian Bale’s Dickie). The relatively promising nature of the film’s true-life setup is squandered by Russell right from the get-go, as the filmmaker immediately alienates the viewer by employing a visual style that couldn’t possibly be more obnoxious (ie shaky camerawork, tight close-ups, etc). It’s subsequently not surprising to note that one’s efforts at working up any interest in the protagonists’ ongoing exploits fall completely and utterly flat, with the decision to emphasize characters that are almost uniformly unpleasant proving instrumental in cementing the film’s pervasively disagreeable atmosphere. Russell’s efforts at evoking a vibe of authenticity are, as a result, rendered completely moot, and there’s little doubt that the talent cast, despite their best efforts, is simply unable to breathe any life into the nigh unwatchable proceedings – which is a shame, really, given that the film does contain a very small handful of strong performances. (Bale’s striking physical transformation ultimately stands as the only impressive aspect of his work here, as the actor turns in an aggressively over-the-top performance that stands out like a sore thumb.) By the time it morphs into an eye-rollingly standard underdog sports story, The Fighter has undoubtedly established itself as a palpably misguided drama that evaporates from one’s memory minutes after the credits begin to roll.

*1/2 out of ****