The Fighter Review

I was sceptical as I went in to see The Fighter. I didn't think I'd like it purely because I didn't like boxing, but I was wrong. You realise very soon that this film is not about just boxing - far from it.

The film is about two brothers. The older one, Dick (Christian Bale), is a former boxer who keeps telling people he's making a comeback, despite the fact that he has a drug addiction that means he can't help his own brother train like he's meant to. The younger one, Mick (Marl Wahlberg), has been boxing for a few years but has had little to no success.
The film tells the story of these two brothers as they fight, not only other boxers, but their family and their own personal demons to become the best.

This film was incredible. For me it had a slightly slow start but once it got on it's feet it was a real winner, and the rest of the film was very well paced.

The acting was fantastic througout - not only were Bale and Wahlberg great as the two brothers, but also Amy Adams was fantastic as Charlene (Mick's girlfriend), and Melissa Leo was impressive as Alice - the mother who thought she was giving her children the best. This is complimented by a great script full of highs and lows.

Leo and Adams are just as good as the two leads.

Seriously, this film is an emotional rollercoaster. The conflicting emotions of the brothers wanting to be better, not just for them but for their children, and the other family members who start to feel left behind as Mick starts to think big are truly touching. There were points when you could really choke up, which is something I didn't expect from a film like this.

Although you don't have to like boxing to love this film, there are boxing scenes in it. I don't like boxing very much but I found these boxing matches to be brilliantly played out and very exciting. This was magnified in the final match which was absolutely gripping.

At first I thought I would hate this film. I don't like boxing, so why would I like this? WRONG. This film is fantastic, whether you like boxing or not you owe yourself to see this - and it's a true story!

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