The Fighter | Hollywood Movie | Film Reviews

Life is a battle and hence one has to be a fighter. Probably this is the basic most rule which fascinates us towards heroic stories. A man’s struggle to achieve something is respected and considered as the source of inspiration. This is the reason Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky is so successful that it became a franchisee in itself and played a vital role in making him a legend.

Various kind of sports do exist. But what makes boxing a loved by people play, despite from the violence it contains; is the fighters are doing everything themselves. Their technique and physical strength are the only aids they have in the ring. Of course there are people associated with the player which work with them as the tea, but that is outside of the ring. Within the ring the player is on his/her own. That’s why when to make a list of movies, based on any sport, which are nominated for the awards, probably the boxing has the most.

The fighter – is such story. Story of a boxer named Micky Ward who is considered not as so good boxer and his half brother Dicky Eklund who trains him since the childhood and his mother Alice Ward and his family, friends, opponents and more. The film received 7 Academy Award nominations and 6 Golden Globe award nominations. The film is a biographical one, based on the real life boxer Micky Ward who have participated in total 51 fights and won 38 of them. Born on 4th Oct, 1965 Micky is rated as Junior welterweight. Micky is former WBU champion from Lowell, Massachusetts. It is worth to note than 27 fights he won with Knock Out and 13 are lost by him. Micky is married to his long time girlfriend Charlene Fleming and they still lives in Lowell. Micky runs a boxing gym with his half-brother Dicky where Dicky trains the newly joined boxers. It is worth to note that Charlene Fleming is a former athlete as well. Micky also wrote a book named “A Warrior’s Heart” which has his inspirational journey discussed in his own words and it contains the stuff about his life before and after the movie “The Fighter”.

Let us get into some details about the storyline (which is based on the biographical stuff about Micky), which have the emotional quotient as well. And that is obvious, we humans are living with emotions and they are the source of inspiration to us. No matter in which field you are and what you are doing. Its all your emotions which play a vital role in your decisions and your decisions are the reasons for what and who you are. For that matter just look at the name of his biography “A Warrior’s heart”, isn’t it self explanatory?!

Micky Ward is an American welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. His mother Alice Ward plays manager for him. His older half-brother, Dicky Eklund trains him. Frankly speaking Micky doesn’t have a very good or either remarkable boxing career. Dicky himself was a boxer and was famous for the match where he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard down in an HBO televised match. But it was his pick point, his career fall downwards then after. To make the things worst he got addicted to crack cocaine. When he was approached by HBO to get filmed for a documentary, he thought it was about his comeback (later we got to know that it showing how drugs affect the life or a rather remarkably good life).

A fight for Micky is arranged and unfortunately his opponent boxer got ill that time. So the management had to go for the alternative. Which was 18 pounds heavier than Micky. Micky wasn’t intended to go for this mismatch, for which he could predict the result. But his family’s economic situation make his mother and brother to accept the decision. He lost the match obviously. Got frustrated with the life and career Micky thought to live life differently. He have then started developing relationship with a college drop-out, former athlete, Charlene Fleming, working currently as a bar tender. His mother and brother arranged another fight for Micky which he was not keen to go for. Micky’s family is bigger and he have seven sisters, they all considered Charlene as the reason behind the same. In a sequence of event, in order to raise money, so Micky can stay there and train, Dicky puts into action a plan which backfired with a Bang! He have made his girlfriend to play a prostitute and get a client with money. When they were in the car Dicky and his friends pretending as police raid them and then try getting money from the customer. But at the last moment, the real police came there and after a chase Dicky was captured. Knowing this Micky came to rescue him, but when arguing with police, he was beaten especially on his hand. Which made it dysfunctional for sometime. For the boxer his arm is his biggest weapon which was harmed. The trial runs into the court and during the hearing Micky was released but Dicky was sent to jail. Now in order to make his career moving, Micky washed his hands from Dicky.

What will happen now? Will Micky and Dicky will ever be able to reunite at least by heart if not physically? What turn Micky’s love story will take? How his mother will manage feeding the entire family and Micky’s career? Will Dicky got changed? Will anything wrong will happen with him in the Jail? Will he be able to give any success mantra for the fight Micky has to go through? Will a brother always be a brother with thicker bond, or, this incident will make them apart? There are so many questions which are answered well by watching the movie. Christian Bale stands out for his act and Mark have trained himself really hard. Amy Adams is a natural actress and she don’t mind doing anything as per director’s direction till it begins with “action” and ends with “cut”. Melissa Leo is splendid and won the best supporting actress award too. Overall an emotional journey in the world of a Boxer.

List of some of the awards the movie is nominated for:

• Academy Award For Best Picture
• Academy Award For Best Director (David O. Russell)
• Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) : WON
• Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
• Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo) : WON
• Academy Award For Best Original Screenplay (Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington)
• Academy Award For Best Film Editing (Pamela Martin)
• Screen Actors Guild Award For Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) : WON
• Screen Actors Guild Award For Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
• Screen Actors Guild Award For Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo) : WON
• ESPY Award For Best Sports Movie : WON
• Golden Globe Award For Best Picture – Drama
• Golden Globe Award For Best Director (David O. Russell)
• Golden Globe Award For Best Actor Drama( Mark Wahlberg)
• Golden Globe Award For Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) : WON
• Golden Globe Award For Best Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
• Golden Globe Award For Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo) : WON