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Plot
As a welterweight from the wrong side of the tracks, Irish-American Dicky Eklund is the pride of working class Lowell, Massachusetts. Living in his shadow is his younger half-brother and sparring partner, 'Irish' Micky Ward.
[edit]Cast
- Mark Wahlberg as 'Irish' Micky Ward: Wahlberg elected to star in the film due to his friendship with Ward, based on their similar inner-city working class Massachusetts upbringings[4] of being in families of nine kids. Wahlberg also was a huge fan of Ward's, calling him a "local sports hero."[5] The actor was also attracted to the film's central theme, of having an ordinary person in "an against-all-odds story," which he previously explored inInvincible.[6] To mimic Ward's habits and mannerisms, Wahlberg had him "on set, watching me every single day."[7] During pre-production, the Ward brothers temporarily moved into Wahlberg's home.[1] To add to the film's realistic nature, Wahlberg refused a stunt double and took real punches during the fight scenes,[6] which resulted in him nearly getting his nose broken a couple of times.[5] Wahlberg underwent a strict bodybuilding exercise regimen, dedicating over four years of training to obtain the muscular physique to convincingly play Ward. "The last six movies I did I was also secretly preparing for The Fighter at the same time," the actor continued, "so I would leave three hours early for work and go to the gym and spend three hours there. I would bring the trainers with me on every movie that I did."[8] His uncertainty over the film's development was overruled by his persistence to get the film made. "There were certainly times where I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, you know, my trainer would ring the bell, and, 'Oh God,' I'm like, 'I better get this movie made.' You know, 'Kill somebody if I don't get this movie made.'"[5] Wahlberg hired Freddie Roach as his boxing trainer, helping the actor model Ward's specific fighting style.[6] The last two years of Wahlberg's training resulted in the construction of a "dream gym" in his house for daily use, with a personal boxing ring.[9] He received additional boxing preparation from Manny Pacquiao.[10]
- Christian Bale as Dick "Dicky" Eklund: After both Brad Pitt and Matt Damon dropped out due to scheduling conflicts,[4] Wahlberg suggested Bale for the role after meeting the actor at a preschool their young daughters both attended.[11] Given Eklund's drug addiction, Bale had to lose weight, which he found easy as he previously went through the task of losing sixty-three pounds in 2003 for The Machinist.[12] Bale researched the part by taking notes on Eklund's mannerisms and recording conversations[11] for the character's distinct Boston accent.[1] Director David O. Russell believed Bale's task involved far more than mimicry. "Dicky has a whole rhythm to him, a music. Christian had to understand how his mind works." Russell and Eklund were both impressed by Bale's dedication to staying in character throughout filming.[11]
- Amy Adams as Charlene Fleming: Russell said of the actress, "There are very few things that a director can have at his disposal better than an actress who's dying to break type and is extremely motivated to break type. Amy was extremely motivated to play a sexy bitch and that's who the character of Charlene is. ... She said, 'As long as it happens between action and cut, I'll do anything." And I said, "That's my kind of actress.' I loved that she had that attitude."[13]
- Melissa Leo as Alice Ward, Mother to both fighters, plus seven additional siblings, all sisters.
- Jack McGee as George Ward, Father to Micky.
- Frank Renzulli as Sal LoNano
- Mickey O'Keefe as himself: Lowell, Massachusettes, police sergeant O'Keefe was Ward's real-life trainer. O'Keefe, who had never acted, was hesitant at first, but Wahlberg told him he could do it because as a police officer, he has to act and think fast on his feet.[14]
- Chanty Sok as Karen, Dicky's crackhead girlfriend: She is a real-life Lowell, Massachusetts resident.[14]
- Erica McDermott as Cindy "Tar" Eklund
- Melissa McMeekin as "Little" Alice Eklund
- Bianca Hunter as Cathy "Pork" Eklund
- Dendrie Taylor as Gail "Red Dog" Eklund Carney
- Kate O'Brien as Phyllis "Beaver" Eklund: One of Ward's foul-mouthed sisters. O'Brien is talk show host Conan O'Brien's sister. The Fighter marks O'Brien's film acting debut.[1]
- Jenna Lamia as Sherri Ward
- Imdad Miah as Terry Mason
- Douglas Hastings as prison guard
- Jill Quigg as Donna Eklund
- Caitlin Dwyer as Kasie Ward, Micky's daughter
- Anders Meader as Fight security
- Joshua Dugay as Young Dicky Eklund
- Bruce Sullivan as Visiting-room prison guard
Sugar Ray Leonard makes a cameo appearance as himself. Leonard was a commentator in the Ward/Mungin match and has a scene immediately afterward.
[edit]Production
Scout Productions acquired the life rights of boxer Micky Ward and his brother, Dick Eklund, in July 2003. Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasywere also hired to write the screenplay,[15] which was rewritten by Lewis Colick.[16] Mark Wahlberg joined the production in early 2005,[9] with the intention of doing Ward's life story "justice". We don't want to do any over-the-top, unrealistic fight scenes."[17] Paramount Pictures, the United States distributor of the film, hired Paul Attanasio to rewrite Collick's draft in February 2007 in an attempt to emphasize the themes of brotherhood and redemption. Hoping to start production in Massachusetts in June 2007,[16] Wahlberg had Martin Scorsese read the screenplay, hoping he would direct. Scorsese turned down the offer, finding the Massachusetts-setting redundant after having finished The Departed.[18] The actor cited Scorsese's Raging Bull as an influence for The Fighter,[17] but Scorsese was not interested in directing another boxing film.[18] Darren Aronofsky was hired to direct in March 2007,[19] with Scott Silver rewriting the script in September 2007.[20]
| "I’ve seen every boxing movie ever made. I’m also a huge fight fan. I fought a little bit when I was younger. Nobody in my opinion, and some of the greatest movies ever made – you talkRaging Bull and Rocky I saw 30 times – but the fighting just wasn’t as realistic as what we hope to achieve and accomplish in this movie." |
| — Mark Wahlberg in an October 2007 interview[4] |
Production proceeded with filming set to begin October 2008[7] and Christian Bale replacing Brad Pitt.[1] By then Aronofsky had dropped out to work on MGM's currently aborted RoboCop remake,[21] followed by Black Swan.[22]Wahlberg and Bale chose David O. Russell as Aronofsky's replacement. Wahlberg had also starred in Russell's Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees.[1]Aronofsky was given an executive producer credit for his contributions on The Fighter, and was enthusiastic to have Russell as the director.[22] In April 2009,Relativity Media stepped up to entirely finance the film,[23] selling the international distribution rights to The Weinstein Company a month later.[24]The Fighter began principal photography on July 13, 2009, on an $11 million budget in a 33-day shooting schedule.[1]
The movie was filmed on location in Ward's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. Its boxing matches were shot at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, and gym scenes at Arthur Ramalho's West End Gym, one of the real-life facilities where Ward had trained.[13][25] The boxing-match footage was created "in big, choreographed sections that were taken directly from [video of] Micky's actual fights," said Russell. "And we used the actual commentary from [HBO's] Larry Merchant, Roy Jones Jr. and Jim Lampley." Russell used "[t]he actual cameras from that era. [They were] a sort of Beta [video-format] camera that gave a very certain look, and we actually hired the director from HBO and his crew who had done those fights"[13] to replicate them shot-for-shot.[4][9]
[edit]Release
To promote the film, Wahlberg appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Men's Health magazine,[9] and Bale on Esquire,[12] in November 2010. An advanced charity premiere took place in Lowell, Massachusetts, the setting of The Fighter, on December 9, a day before the film's scheduled national release.[26][
[edit]Reception
[edit]Critical response
The Fighter has received critical acclaim. Critics have praised the performances of Wahlberg, Bale, Adams and Leo. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 89% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 174 reviews, with an average score of 7.9/10. The critical consensus is: "Led by a trio of captivating performances from Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre." [27] Metacritic gave the film an average score of 79/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]
Sports Illustrated dubbed the film the best sports movie of the decade and "one of the best since Martin Scorsese backlit Robert De Niro's Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull.".[29]
[edit]Box office
[edit]Accolades
Christian Bale won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.[30]
The film was nominated for six Golden Globe Awards. Best Picture (Drama), Best Actor (Drama) for Wahlberg, Best Supporting Actress for Leo and Adams, Best Supporting Actor for Bale, and a nomination for Best Director for Russell.[31] The film received three Chicago Film Critics award nominations, Best Supporting Actor for Christian Bale, and Best Supporting Actress nominations for Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Christian Bale won a Satellite Award, the Critics' Choice Award, and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Melissa Leo won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremony | Category | Name | Outcome |
| Best Picture | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bale | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Amy Adams | Nominated | |
| Melissa Leo | Won | ||
| Best Acting Ensemble | Won | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson | Nominated | |
| Directors Guild of America | Best Director | David O. Russell | Pending |
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leoand Jack McGee | Pending | |
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | Christian Bale | Pending | |
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Amy Adams | Pending | |
| Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Melissa Leo | Pending | |
| Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor Drama | Mark Wahlberg | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Amy Adams | Nominated | |
| Melissa Leo | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bale | Won | |
| Best Director | David O. Russell | Nominated | |
The film was released in select North American theaters on December 10, 2010 (limited) and is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2011
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