The Fighter is the story of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his older brother Dicky (Christian Bale), during his troubled rise to fame.

Micky is a professional boxer, who comes from a working class Irish family in Lowell, Massachusetts. Micky is trained by his older brother Dicky, and is managed by his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo).

Micky’s older brother and trainer Dicky, was once a boxer himself, the highlight of his career being when he knocked down Sugar Ray during a match, earning him the title: The Pride of Lowell. However, at the time we see him in the movie, his career is long gone and he has descended into crack addiction.

Alice Ward, Micky’s mother, organizes all of his fights personally. Her addition, alongside Dicky’s, making Micky’s career controlled entirely by his family. She seems to favor her eldest son, constantly reliving Dicky’s past glory, and choosing to ignore his addiction.

When we are introduced to the plot, Micky’s career is going downhill. The troubled boxer has lost three fights in a row, and has all but lost his confidence. He’s considered a “stepping stone”, being used to advance newer fighters through an easy win.

Early in the movie, we see Micky having to constantly wait for, and chase down his unreliable older brother, and become pressured into a fight with a man 20 kilos above his weight division by his mother and brother. Micky suffers a crushing defeat, and his confidence collapses from it’s last legs, as Micky, embarrassed,  becomes a recluse and hides from the community.

During this period, he meets a new woman (with broken dreams of her own) who pressures him into ousting his family from his boxing career, and seeking more reliable people to support him. And this; Mickey’s personal conflicts of family, trust, and duty, are what make up the majority of the film.

The movie plays out mostly like a more modern rendition of Rocky, and then events are all the same. The fighter begins with a career in decline, which is then renewed by the solving of his personal demons, and conflicts with family and friends.

However, the movie is less about Micky’s training, and more about him overcoming his own personal insecurities. Micky allows himself to be pushed around, and manipulated by everyone in his life. His mother, his brother, his family, even his well-meaning other trainer and girlfriend. 

Micky has people clutching at him, at his talent from all sides, and you see him splitting apart because of it. The Fighter is less about Micky training psychically for his fights, than it is about him becoming mentally prepared to win, and learning to fight for himself - in and out of the ring.

A special mention should be given to Bale, for his supporting role as Dicky in The Fighter. Bale brings an enormous amount of energy, and his trademark hyperactivity (that we haven’t seen since Psycho!) to what could be the best supporting role this year. It’s know it’s early, but I doubt anyone will be able to top Bale’s lovable crackhead easily this year.

The Fighter is a raw, visceral, uplifting, and overall excellent film, and I recommend it completely.

-Reviewed by Jack Kelleher