"Back when Mark Wahlberg was Marky Mark!"

Title: The Fighter

Directed by: David O. Russell

Written by: Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington

Starring: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo

Do you remember that annoying catchy song? “Cuma Cuma Chameleon…” You hated it, but couldn’t get it out of your head and despite your best efforts you can’t remember the artist or song title and when you finally do see it again, you swear to find the artist and slaughter all the sheep in his homestead. But then you hear it again and you start to forgive the poor sod, and almost like him and then before you know it you’re singing along and boom! The cycle comes full circle.
That’s Mark “Marky Mark” Wahlberg in a nutshell a chameleon who changes colours repeatedly and as much as you try to hate him, you can’t because he’s just so damn catchy and likeable!

The following applies to “the Fighter” which sees Wahlberg and an out of this world cast produce what can be called one of the best films of the year. It’s 1990 and Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale) is having a documentary made about him, under the auspice to celebrate his illustrious career as a fighter but in truth to shed light on the horrific effects of Crack Cocaine, his younger brother, Boxing legend and hero Mickey Ward played by Mark Wahlberg follows Dicky on his road to roedemption. Dicky who at one time defeated Sugar Ray Leonard in the ring, now defeats needles in his attic whilst trying to help his younger brother get to the upper echelons of the Boxing world. Unfortunately Dicky is a crack addict and like all crack addicts he manages to somehow steal the show with an out of this world performance by Bale, which is almost as haunting as his portrayal of Patrick Bateman in American Pyscho. On the road to sanity and redemption Micky meets home girl Charlene Fleming played by Amy Adams and the two form an bat-shit crazy blue collar tryst that is tested by Mickey’s wacky and zany army of sisters and megalomaniacal mother who do everything in their power to separate the two only leading the two closer and Dicky in jail.
It’s a tear jerker like the way they used to make them and Russell gives us a Massachusetts like no other without the famous monuments and glory of the Red Sox, but just a bunch of poor white folks trying make ends meet in a dog eat world covered in crack and John Adams Lager.

It’s a gem one of the finer Oscar contenders of the year and one of those films that’ll have you shadow boxing till dinner’s ready and make you think about taking out your old axe or set of swimming trunks and have one more shot at Fame and legally beating men to death.

Bravo 5 times over

I give it 9 Hoers!