The Fighter

I just watched THE FIGHTER for like the fourth time tonight. Never gets old. This is one of my top three favorite boxing movies, and it's probably in my top five sports movies in general. I have so much respect for the way this movie was pulled off. I get it. The directing was good. Screenplay was good. Editing was good. But let's be real, the performances make this movie what it is. Mark Wahlberg is doing some of his best work in this movie, and Amy Adams holds her weight. I also loved what I got from Melissa Leo. But dang. Christian Bale steals the film. He is just so transformative in this movie and totally disappears. He has that frenetic fast talking nature a drug addict would have. He does everything perfect and deserved that Oscar. There is boxing in the movie, but not really that much. If you go in to this film expecting an hour of fighting, it's not that. This is a movie about family, about confidence, and about overcoming odds. This movie gives you some nice fights, but it's really just centered on these characters and this dysfunctional family. The fights are cool, but nothing too memorable. I always forget the final opponents name, and I never do anything like that with the Rocky films. But once again, this didn't feel like your classic boxing film structure. And I appreciated that. I loved the story and grew to root for these brothers. Overall, THE FIGHTER is fantastic. It has a strong heart and keeps me invested. Score: 91%