Rent The Fighter (2010)

Super film - The Fighter review by PT

A great film about a working class dysfunctional family and the two boxing brothers from it. Wahlberg is the current boxer, not really being well managed by his mother and older brother trainer. Fed up of being a journeyman fighter he is encouraged by his new girlfriend ( a brilliant Amy Adams as a tough talking barmaid, with a good heart underneath) to break from his domineering mother and his permanently off his face crack head brother. Bale won an Oscar for his portrayal of Dicky, and is superb as the older retired boxer who once fought Sugar Ray, but is now a total mess spending most of his time in a crack house.

Mickey (Wahlberg in a fine role ) begins to make better progress without his family, but their influence is hard to shake off and Dicky fresh out of prison wants his trainer position back.

Great performances made this true story a great film for me.

Very average - The Fighter review by Tim from London

Think about the great boxing films - Raging Bull, When We Were Kings, Body and Soul and On the Waterfront (just about a boxing film). Well this film just doesn't cut it in comparison. A slightly dull and straightforward film about a boxer overcoming adversity which doesn't even have melodramatic feel good factor of a Rocky film. The boxing scenes are unconvincing and consist merely of Mark Wahlberg getting hit a lot and then dong his rope a dope trick. I found Christian Bale to be highly irritating and histrionic and his performance should have been reined in by the director. Just about watchable is the best I can say.

A fantastic boxing biopic with incredible performances, great script & real emotional heft - The Fighter review by TB

I love this film. It takes a genre that has had so many films made about it (boxing) filled it with relatable & colourful characters, used the true story to brilliant effect and builds up to a genuinely thrilling finale.

Massive credit needs to be given to Mark Wahlberg, without whom quite simply this film would never have got made. For years & years whilst it was stuck in development hell, he not only didn't give up, but consistently trained throughout that entire time to ensure that he was match-fit and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

Every performance is flawless, although for me my favourite was Christian Bale as Dickie. When you see the real Dickie in the behind-the-scenes footage, it is staggering how perfect Bale's characterisation of him is. Amy Adams also perfectly pulls off the tough as nails barmaid and later wife too.

The fight scenes are shot perfectly, the locations great and like with many other films made this way, the vast majority of the smaller bit parts/background characters were real locals from the Boston neighborhood where the film was shot & and the brothers came from.

A flawless, brilliant boxing film and richly deserving of the huge praise given to it.