There are so many boxing movies out there that you tend to think 'do we need another one?' David O. Russell thinks that we do and I'm glad that he thought that, because this is a powerhouse of incredible performances in a tale that's more about family than about fighting.
Based on a true story, it tells of Mickey Ward, a low-rent boxer managed by his overbearing mother and trained by his crack-smoking brother, Dickie, who clings onto the fact that he was the pride of his town because he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard. When Mickey starts dating barmaid Charlene, a tough, no-nonsense woman who isn't intimated by Mickey's mother or his seven big-haired, grotesque sisters, things begin to change and there is a future for the fighter, until, that is, the night Dickie is arrested and Mickey gets his hand broken by a cop. From this moment on, Mickey disowns his family and decides to do things his way which could lead him to the top of his game.
O. Russell's film is a gritty, taut drama that ticks all the boxes as far as boxing movies cliches go, and yet it has so much more to offer. This is about a very unpleasant family who cannot see beyond the old hopes and dreams they had, which is stopping new ones from happening and the only way to achieve the goals you want is sometimes to breakaway.
If the themes of the film are sometimes too subtle, that's because O. Russell doesn't hammer home the point, he lets things move at a pace that pulls you in and so by the finale, you feel like you are part of this family and that they aren't as bad as you thought. This is also helped by some amazing performances.
Mark Wahlberg, the lead, has, in fact the dullest role. He is nice, sympathetic and you can understand his predicament and yet it is an adequate performance but nothing much to write home about. The true heart of the film lies in the hands of Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo.
Adams, who I have always rated, gives another superb performance that is as far removed from her princess role in Enchanted as you could possibly get. A foul-mouthed drop-out who doesn't take any abuse and is more likely dishing it out. She is strong, intense and incredibly believable. Even her talents, however, are swamped by Mr Bale and Ms Leo. Mellisa Leo, who is not a name you would immediately go, 'I know her!' will definitely be remembered for this. She is a tornado. She is vile, mouthy, disgusting and yet she manages to be likable in the same breath. you can see that all she wants is the best for her boys, it's just she goes about it completely the wrong way. Walking off with the Golden Globe for best supporting actress, don't rule her out for the Oscar, she is that good.
The real peach of the film is Christian Bale. While I have never been a huge fan, finding him sometimes a little too intense, here is shines. Losing weight and looking like a gaunt shadow of his Batman days, he is the one character that you sympathize with the most. A man who wants to be remembered for one thing but turning to a life of crack, he is simply magnificent. Funny and pathetic in turns, you follow his journey into hell and then back again, the turning point being his pride getting crushed when a documentary about crack is shown in prison and he sees a shot of his son. It is almost heartbreaking. I dop my cap to Christian Bale and say that if he doesn't win the Oscar this year, then the Oscar isn't worth winning.
Strange that the boxing scenes come third place to the performances but they are just merely an subplot to a film that has so much more to offer. Not an easy film to like but you will be totally satisfied by the end and you will be glad you had seen it.
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