[movie] The Fighter
New biopic starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams. Lots of positive buzz for this film. To get the most out of a viewing, don’t watch the trailer beforehand, as it gives away most of the key plot-points in the film.
This could have been a run-of-the-mill Rocky clone, but for the performances from the three main actors. There are moments where you wonder why such high-calibre names are in this piece (it’s a bit sloppy in places, and features a prison system that is surely the most friendly of any that I’ve ever seen on-screen), but it’s been a passion project of Wahlberg’s for a long time, and he carries it well.
There’s a lot of swearing, there’s a bunch of adult behaviour, dysfunctional family scenes, and the obligatory training montages and boxing sequences, but this still manages to rise above the average boxing movie (though it’s no Million Dollar Baby).
The cinematography owes a lot to Rocky Balboa, and – though it’s a little too slow in places – it’s a well constructed film with an “indie” feel.