I was fairly dubious about The Fighter, the trailer didn't make it seem particularly exciting, and at that point I didn't really consider Mark Wahlberg a good actor. I'm so glad I was wrong.
The cinematography isn't amazing and I didn't really notice the music. But where The Fighter shines is in it's direction and cast. Mark Wahlberg is brilliant as Micky Ward. Frankly he deserved an Oscar nod but due to it's lack of showiness many people will feel it's Christian Bale's show. While he's great as the drug crazed boxer wash-up, Micky is the emotional centre of the film. Thanks to him I found myself cheering when he got a punch in and cringing when he got hit (OK I didn't really cheer, I didn't want to disturb the audience.). Mixing in the ring shots and clips which almost seem like the real thing, the fights are truly spectacular.
But for those who don't want to see two blokes smash each other about, the drama outside the ring is brilliant as well. The clashes between Micky's family (including 7 incredibly scary looking sisters) and his girlfriend and trainer work really well, as they don't make either party seem right, and show the difficulty Micky faces in choosing who to trust.
Despite it's gloomy nature, this could easily be one of the most uplifting and brilliant films of 2011.
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