The Fighter

JP Liz

Melissa Leo is in final talks to join the cast of The Fighter, reports Variety.
The Oscar-nominated actress will play the mother of Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg's characters. David O. Russell is directing the movie, which is inspired by the true story of Boston boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his journey to become the world lightweight champion aided by his half-brother Dicky Eklund (Bale).

Its seems Darren Aronofsky is gone from the project now.

I wonder how Bale and O Russell will get on

JP Liz

A new photo has popped up online from the David O. Russell boxing drama, The Fighter. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, along with Oscar nominees Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. It’s based on a true story and is scheduled to hit theaters sometime next year.

JP Liz V1

http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/01/27/early-reader-review-david-o-russells-the-fighter/

Still no sign of a trailer or teaser yet

JP Liz V1

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/movies/10fighter.html?_r=1


Oscar contender :cool: its getting buzz even without a trailer

Handsome Bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_zijS_UAtw

Have to say that it looks epic in parts. But as we know, trailers can be deceiving, especially these days. The dialogue seems a bit lame at times but every time Bale comes on the screen it looks like gripping stuff. I'm not being a fanboy there, it just seems like Bale has a fantastic role in this film. Can't wait.

Kess73

LZ5by5 wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_zijS_UAtw

Have to say that it looks epic in parts. But as we know, trailers can be deceiving, especially these days. The dialogue seems a bit lame at times but every time Bale comes on the screen it looks like gripping stuff. I'm not being a fanboy there, it just seems like Bale has a fantastic role in this film. Can't wait.

No Dropkick Murphys playing during the trailer and no D Tension? :mad:


Bale as Dickie Eklund is an interesting choice. Am curious as to how this film stacks up to Ward's biography, Irish Thunder, that came out last year.

Raekwon

I'm a big boxing fan and love Mickey Ward, his fights with the late Arturo Gatti were absolutely epic! I've also read Irish Thunder and saw the HBO documentary "High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell" which his older half brother Dickie Eklund is heavily featured in so I literally cannot wait to see this!

MagicMarker

For someone who doesn't know this story, the trailer does a good job at giving pretty much everything away! :rolleyes:

Kess73

MagicMarker wrote: »

For someone who doesn't know this story, the trailer does a good job at giving pretty much everything away! :rolleyes:

Not really. If it does hold true to Ward's actual life, and moreso to Eklund's life which has been dotted with trouble right up to last year, then there is plenty that was not touched on in the trailer.

Cantona's Collars

Here's a review courtesy of AICN. Makes me wanna see this movie asap.

Capone declares David O. Russell's THE FIGHTER one of 2010's best, and one of the best sports movies in recent memory!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

Sometimes, when you don't expect something to be truly great, it goes an surprises the hell out of you and turns out to be just that. Like many of you, I'd seen the trailer for director David O. Russell's THE FIGHTER, his first film in far too long from the make of SPANKING THE MONKEY, FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, I HEART HUCKABEES, and his previous best work THREE KINGS. The two latter films star Mark Wahlberg, who has done arguably much of his best work under Russell's direction. But THE FIGHTER is an entirely different animal, possibly because this project has been Wahlberg's passion for the better part of the last decade. Not only is this the best performance in the actor's career, but the film itself easily ranks among the best of the year. There's a good chance you're going to be hearing me say that about a couple more films before the end of the year, for obvious reasons, but THE FIGHTER is so nakedly raw as a narrative and stylistically flawless that it's virtually impossible to escape its brutal grip.

Based on the lives of two real-life half-brothers, THE FIGHTER tells the story of Micky Ward (Wahlberg), a stepping-stone boxer through the mid- to late 1980s, who thinks he might actually have a shot at something great in the 1990s. Living in the working-class neighborhood of Lowell, Massachusetts, Micky is horribly mismanaged by his mother Alice (the phenomenal Melissa Leo) and trained by his unreliable half-brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale). Micky is time and again humiliated in the ring after being paired with fighters way above his weight class and taking some real pummelings. After his latest embarrassment of a match, Ward makes the decision to take some time off and determines if he even wants to continue down his path, and it's in this phase that he meets Charlene (Amy Adams), a one-time party girl and currently a bartender, who agrees to go on a date with Micky without much convincing.

Charlene might be the only person who has Micky's real interests at heart, and while she does not think he should quit boxing, she does encourage him to seek new management and a new trainer, which clearly doesn't sit well with the Ward/Eklund clan, which includes an endless supply of sisters and half-sisters. Meanwhile, Dickie has an HBO film crew following him, he says, because he's staging a boxing comeback of his own that the crew is documenting. Dickie was once a profession boxer who once knocked out Sugar Ray Leonard (some say Leonard tripped), and he serves as an inspiration to the younger Micky and taught him boxing fundamentals that he used throughout his career. But the film crew is actually following Dickie around because he's a former local hero turned crackhead.

It's no secret that Bale is a terrific actor, but his performance as Dickie could not have been achieved by any other actor--pure and simple. His combination of addict fast talk--loaded with excuses and lies--is jumbled in with his clear devotion to his brother's career. Of course, none of this stops him from letting Micky down time and time again, and the family is no help because even though they all know what he's into, no one will talk about or even admit that he's a junkie. I have such a clear memory of seeing HBO's HIGH ON CRACK STREET documentary featuring three crack addicts in Lowell, because it was the first time I really saw what crack does to people both emotionally and physically. Bale's Dickie embodies all of awful damage this drug renders on a person's mind, body and soul, but director Russell almost refuses to let us feel pity for pity for the man. It doesn't take long for Dickie to land up in jail, forcing Micky to get another trainer whether he wants one or not, so he uses the opportunity to cut his mother out of his career as well.

And under this new regime and using new techniques along with the ones his brother taught him, Micky starts to improve as a boxer and begins winning fights most didn't think he could. Charlene is an excellent one-woman support system, but Adams hardly plays her as a background player. She goes nose to nose with Alice and even exchanges blows with Micky's sisters, who think she's a skank and "MTV girl," which apparently means she's wild. Adams plays Charlene as a fully loaded pistol, who cowers before no one, and isn't afraid to scrap. She's also hopelessly sexy, as one would expect an MTV girl to be. But the film's real secret weapon (as opposed to Bale, who is the not-so-secret weapon) is Melissa Leo, who has had an impressive second half of 2010 between CONVICTION and WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, both of which feature her in very different roles than Alice, a woman convinced she's a little better than others because of the middling success of her sons. As Micky's manager, her only skills as a business negotiator are screaming and ultimatums. When Micky's new team makes him ban her from the gym, it's not difficult to understand why, and Leo is mind-blowingly great in this role. It becomes clear that Micky may be attracted to Charlene because she's got a lot of Alice's fire.

One of the style choices that Russell makes that I wholly approve of is how he handles the boxing matches themselves. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure we only see extended versions of three of Micky bouts. But rather than place the camera in the ring, weaving around and between the boxers, Russell does something I hadn't expected. He allows us to watch the fights on TV, relying on HBO or ESPN cameras to show the fight the way most of us view them, complete with the commentators' voices, and shots of the crowd, the corner men, the family. The end result is some of the most realistic-looking boxing I've seen in films in recent years. But Russell only does this for Micky's televised fights; some of his lesser matches, he offers up a bit more style, slow-mo, close-ups. The idea is so simple that it shouldn't be as effective as it is, but I found myself incredibly wrapped up in the contests as a result.

Eventually, Micky gets a title shot, and it's in these where Wahlberg brings us his A-game as an actor. His love of this man, this family, and this story are all over THE FIGHTER, but when he is faced with the very real possibility of seeing his dreams come true, he almost slips. At this point Dickie is released from prison a very different man. He's nine months clean, in great physical shape, and ready to be the steady hand he never was for Micky. Clearly wanting his brother in his corner, Micky nearly throws away months of positive work and achievements, but his faith in Dickie is unshaken, for better or worse and Wahlberg embodies this so clearly and confidently. Micky is a man with confidence issues, mother issues, and a lifetime of feeling like he's second best to the man he has most looked up to since he was a kid. And it's all there on Wahlberg's face--the uncertainty, the doubt, the fear. I'm still partial to what Wahlberg accomplished in BOOGIE NIGHTS, but his performance in THE FIGHTER might be his greatest technical achievement as an actor.

And on top of all these accolades, THE FIGHTER is engrossing entertainment and a triumphant underdog story that is certainly one of the greatest sports movies in my lifetime. For hours after seeing the film, my brain was battling itself trying to figure out which performance I loved the most or what my favorite moments were. I eventually gave in and realized that I loved every second of and every performance in THE FIGHTER, from Wahlberg, Bale, and Leo to the wonderfully scary ladies with the out-of-control hair who played the Ward sisters. The film is as inspirational as it is heartbreaking, as tough to watch at times as it is one of the most watchable films I've seen all year. Prepare to have the earth move under your feet.

Handsome Bob

Had to stop reading that article, it's too spoilerific.

krudler

If anyones never seen a Micky Ward fight, watch this, crazy fights these two had, its more like something from a Rocky movie than a real life boxing match:

yabadabado

I can't wait for this film .I have read Irish Thunder and it's a brilliant book.If the film comes close to replicating it ,it will be fantastic.it has all the ingredients, so hopefully it aint a let down.

JP Liz V1

6 Golden Globe nominations - Leo and Bale seem like shoe ins for the wins in their categories

Cant wait to see it but I dont think it is out here until February 2011

paddyismaddy

i cant wait for this

crazygeryy

in a word BRILLIANT.really good cast, mark wahlberg is excellent and amy adams is very good to but if christian bale doesnt get a golden globe or an oscar it will be a sad day for movies.he steals the show.

Cantona's Collars

Watched it tonight-superb movie.Amy Adams can act,she was excellent.Whalberg did an ok job as Micky but Bale stole the show.

MagicMarker

Good movie, I enjoyed it. Have to say though without Bale there would be nothing extraordinary about it. Just another run of the mill boxing movie, we've seen it all before.

johnny_ultimate

I had long thought this was going to be very similar territory to the Wrestler, but am very much looking forward to it now. I generally enjoy Russell's films despite their flaws, and asshole or not it has been a while since his idiosyncratic vision last graced the screen.

mailburner

just finished watching it
great movie and if bale isn't nailed on for an oscar it'll be a miracle.
The odds suggest it's more or less a certainty also at around 2/5

effin bookies...here was i thinking i might make a few sneaky quid :pac:

Clareman

Just finished watching it, great movie, one of the best I've seen in a long time, real Rocky-like at the end when it was against Neary. BTW, Neary was supposed to be British (flag at press conference), sounded Scotish but came out in front of a tri-colour, very strange

paulosham

So Rocky was called Micky and Micky was called Dicky and Micky(Dicky) was played by batman instead of the penguin.:D

Sad Professor

I don't really like Mark Wahlberg, but I'm looking forward to seeing this. Reviews and reactions seem very positive.

temply

Great movie - Bale & Adams stole the show for me though I have to say.

yabadabado

Clareman wrote: »

Just finished watching it, great movie, one of the best I've seen in a long time, real Rocky-like at the end when it was against Neary. BTW, Neary was supposed to be British (flag at press conference), sounded Scotish but came out in front of a tri-colour, very strange

watched the film last night and really enjoyed it.bale and Melissa Leo were excellent.Neary is a scouser and used to fight with Irish nickname.so that would explain the tri-colour.the film is more about his tough life ,than his fights as the time line and fights is all over the place but its probably done to make for better drama and thats to be expected.

ricero

Very good film well casted and bale put in the performance of his career. But I thought the ending was a bit weak IMO but overall a very good movie

MisterAnarchy

I thought it was distincly average to be honest.
The acting was good but the dialogue was very poor ,the story cliched and it bent the truth alot .
One of the main writers Paul Tamasy is primarily known for The Air Bud,Santa Buddies franchise .Good dialogue is not his forte.
The time frame was lopsided and considering the career that Ward had they could have made a much better film.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Clareman wrote: »

Neary was supposed to be British (flag at press conference), sounded Scotish but came out in front of a tri-colour, very strange

IIRC When he was coming out for the fight it was announced that he was from Liverpool.

Cianan2

Only thing I was really dissapointed in was the fact that it ended with the Neary fight. Would have been a much better film if they'd shown the Gatti fights!

Dr.Winston O'Boogie

Brilliant film, agree with most in that Bale makes it, thought Wahlberg was good too and surprised by Adams in that she can do the serious stuff as well.

Pretty strange they didn't include the Gatti fights alright but he lost 2 of those so I think the ending has a more dramatic effect as it is.

efb

I'd say the Gatti fights rights might be a bit difficult with a rights issue over the Gatti Estate.

I really enjoyed the movie. After watching Coco before Chanel that was two enjoyable biopics in a row.

Mickeroo

Watched this tonight, very good overall. Not very original or anything in terms of story, maybe I was expecting something diffeent from someon like David O Russell but like Aranofsky with the wrestler this is quite a straight forward underdog sports movie, but it is a very well made one and probably the best in a long time. Christian Bale is excellent and will win the oscar without a doubt, Amy Adams also proves her nomination a few years back was no fluke either, can't fault anyone in it really and I was surprised to see that Mickey O'Keefe was actually played by the real life Mickey O'Keefe!

The only gripe I had was that the climatic fight didnt really have the emotion you usually expect from these type of movies, I remember getting more into Cinderella Man than this, I guess it was because the film isn't really about his rise in boxing and more about him balancing his career and his messed up family. Would definitley recommend it anyway!

sprinkles

Saw this last night and loved it. Bale is absolutely brilliant and the clip at the end with the real Micky and Dicky just showed how well he had played him. Oscar in the bag I reckon. Wahlberg usually annoys me but while he was completely outshone by Bale he did turn in a good performance. Amy was excellent, her run in with the sister was classic... man is she hot! (Amy not the sister )

I've spent the morning watching all the fights on youtube, quality stuff. Kings Speech, Black Swan and now the Fighter.... it's been a great January for films!

Mickeroo wrote: »

d I was surprised to see that Mickey O'Keefe was actually played by the real life Mickey O'Keefe!

:eek: I thought he was great!

The Pontiac

HBO did a documentary a few years ago callled High on Crack Street: Lost Lives of Lowell. It was shot over an 18 month period, following the lives of three crack addicts, one of whom was Dick Eklund (Christian Bale in the movie).

I watched this myself a few years ago and it's pretty harrowing stuff. It can be watched here.

Looking forward to seeing the movie.

Mickeroo

<Ollie> wrote: »

HBO did a documentary a few years ago callled High on Crack Street: Lost Lives of Lowell. It was shot over an 18 month period, following the lives of three crack addicts, one of whom was Dick Eklund (Christian Bale in the movie).

I watched this myself a few years ago and it's pretty harrowing stuff. It can be watched here.

Looking forward to seeing the movie.

Yea

the documentary plays quite a central role in the movie.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Great film, imo.
Wahlberg and Bale are two of my favourite actors and Mickey is a legend, so I may be biased.:P

L'prof

<Ollie> wrote: »

HBO did a documentary a few years ago callled High on Crack Street: Lost Lives of Lowell. It was shot over an 18 month period, following the lives of three crack addicts, one of whom was Dick Eklund (Christian Bale in the movie).

I watched this myself a few years ago and it's pretty harrowing stuff. It can be watched here.

Looking forward to seeing the movie.

Thanks, I was looking for this after watching the movie.

Raekwon

Just back from an advanced screening of this film and I have to say I really enjoyed it but then again I am a big boxing fan so maybe I'm biased

I read the book 'Irish Thunder' by Bob O'Halloran and I saw the (very depressing) documentary 'High on Crack Street: Lost lives in Lowell' so I knew exactly what to expect but the performances in this movie are well worth seeing even if you know the plot. Amy Adams and Melissa Leo were excellent and Christian Bale was quite simply exceptional as Dickie Eklund.......even the normally very wooden Mark Wahlberg was decent in his role as Micky Ward.

The only thing that annoyed me about this film was

the ending. The whole 'he wins the world title and is a hero' was a crock of **** in my opinion. In real life after Ward knocked out the undefeated Alfonso Sanchez he got stopped in the second round in a legitimate world title fight against Vince Philips. There was then 5 other fights (including a defeat to future world champion Zab Judah) before the Shea Neary fight in London, which incidentally wasn't even for a real world title as the WBU are very lightly regarded in boxing circles. If they ended with his win over Gatti then that would have made a fitting ending instead of this half arsed one.

Selected

Probably, one of the worst films I've ever seen. With all the Oscar nominations, I'm guessing, it's just me. Nauseous banality.

seraphimvc

i thought the story is very good!!( i have got no idea how the boxing world works at all so i enjoy the story very much. the acting tho, the mum did a great job but the rest are quite averagely good imo. very very good story tho!!

Josey Wales

Just back from The Fighter. I thought it was excellent. With this and Black Swan already this year 2011 is shaping up nicely.

I thought all the main actors were very, very good. Bale is getting all the attention but his role was more showy. I thought Walhberg was excellent too but it was more subtle. It seems that David O Russell really knows how to get the best out of him. Amy Adams was great too. Even though she wasn't playing somebody glamourous she came across as extremely sexy in some scenes.

The one thing I wasn't expecting in the film was the humour. It was quite funny at times.

Handsome Bob

Yeah I thought Wahlberg was very good too, as Bale alluded to in his GG acceptance speech Wahlberg played that understated role that Bale himself had played so many times before. I really felt sorry for Mickey and you can feel his energy being sapped by his dysfunctional family. So yeah, definitely a very good turn by Marky Mark!

I thought that Melissa Leo was very good too. Underneath all that brashness is a woman torn apart by the actions of her son Dickie and I thought Leo went from the in your face boss to the in despair mother almost effortlessly. Great stuff.

As for Bale, what can you say, a comical yet tragic performance. Absolutely gripping stuff. The scene where he

goes back to the crack house after getting out of jail

is just amazing.

The film itself fell down in one or two places. Bar the final fight I didn't feel any genuine excitement or tension when Mickey was in the ring. The montage sequences felt a little limp too, they didn't really get your heart thumping. Plus I think the build up to

the title shot could have been a bit better, it was kind of like "oh the title match is now, ok so."

kraggy

Just goes to show what a joke the Oscars are when this gets nominated for Best Film.

Decent film but for this to be nominated and Barney's Version to not be is simply laughable.

I'd give it a 3 star rating. Bale, who I don't usually like, was brilliant in it. Wahlberg was too. And Amy Adams is decent, and very hot.

The over abundance of Irish flags in the final fight scene made was illogical in that they were being waved for Neary. He's from Liverpool and though he may be of Irish descent, no way would there be that many tricolours in favour of him at an English venue. This was made even more conflusing by the fact that Ward is Irish American.

Worth the watch certainly, but not a Best Picture.

Hank Scorpio

Disagree with the above post.

Have 2 words to sum up this movie.

The fighter: Inspirational

Bale: Exceptional

grames_bond

I loved the movie tbh. Bale was an absolute scene stealer every time he was on screen, exceptional performance showing again how he is such an amazing actor!

Markey Mark showed some emotion and was alot more enjoyable than usual - played the role really really i think!

Amy adams is gorgeous and again played her part brilliantly!!

ntlbell

I'm also really lost as to where all the hype is coming from on this.

I enjoyed bale's performance, but the film itself was absoloutley average.

I didn't even feel more mickey at all, I thought by the last fight i would be cheering him on but I felt nothing for him.

It's no Rocky! :pac:

JP Liz V1

ntlbell wrote: »

I'm also really lost as to where all the hype is coming from on this.

I enjoyed bale's performance, but the film itself was absoloutley average.

I didn't even feel more mickey at all, I thought by the last fight i would be cheering him on but I felt nothing for him.

It's no Rocky! :pac:

LOL

ntlbell

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

LOL

marwelie

grames_bond wrote: »

I loved the movie tbh. Bale was an absolute scene stealer every time he was on screen, exceptional performance showing again how he is such an amazing actor!

Markey Mark showed some emotion and was alot more enjoyable than usual - played the role really really i think!

Amy adams is gorgeous (damn you sasha baron cohen!) and again played her part brilliantly!!

Sasha Baron Cohens girlfriend/wife is Isla Fisher, but I get your point. Darren Legallo (no I've never heard of him either) is the boyfriend/husband of Amy Adams. And indeed she is ridiculously pretty, even gorgeous!

Melissa Leo (as the mother) steals the show with Christian Bale. I'd be amazed if they don't pick up a statuette each on Oscar Night.

kraggy

nuxxx wrote: »

Disagree with the above post.

Have 2 words to sum up this movie.

The fighter: Inspirational

Bale: Exceptional

Decent film but not worthy of an oscar for Best film. No way.

FrDickByrne

I'll echo the above post, all the performances were extremely good. Great movie but it is not the phenomenal five star movie that the critics are selling it as.