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The Fighter is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and stars Mark Wahlberg (who also produced), Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his older half-brother and former boxer Dicky Eklund (Bale). The film was inspired by the 1995 documentary that features the Eklund-Ward family, titled High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell.[4]

The Fighter
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid O. Russell
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Keith Dorrington
  • Paul Tamasy
  • Eric Johnson
Produced by
  • David Hoberman
  • Todd Lieberman
  • Ryan Kavanaugh
  • Mark Wahlberg
  • Dorothy Aufiero
  • Paul Tamasy
Starring
CinematographyHoyte van Hoytema
Edited byPamela Martin
Music byMichael Brook
Production
companies
  • Relativity Media
  • The Weinstein Company
  • Mandeville Films
  • Protozoa Pictures
  • Closest to the Hole Productions
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • December 6, 2010 (2010-12-06) (Grauman's Chinese Theatre)
  • December 10, 2010 (2010-12-10) (United States)
Running time
116 minutes[1][2][3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million
Box office$129.2 million

The Fighter was released in theaters on December 17, 2010, by Paramount Pictures. The film grossed $129 million worldwide and received largely positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, with many comments about Bale's weight, accent, and mannerisms; his performance has been widely referred to as one of the greatest performances of the century. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, winning the awards for Best Supporting Actor (Bale) and Best Supporting Actress (Leo). It was the first film to win both awards since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986.


Plot


Micky Ward is an American welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Managed by his mother, Alice Ward, and trained by his older half-brother, Dicky Eklund, Micky became a "stepping stone" for other boxers to defeat on their way up. Dicky, a former boxer whose peak of success was going the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978, has become addicted to crack cocaine. He is being filmed for an HBO documentary he believes to be about his "comeback".

On the night of an undercard fight in Atlantic City, Micky's scheduled opponent Saoul Mamby is ill, and a substitute is found in Mike Mungin who is 20 pounds heavier than Micky, a huge difference in professional boxing, constituting two or three weight classes. Despite Micky's reservations, his mother and brother agree so that they can all get the purse and tell Micky that the fighter is out of shape and has ring rust. They arrive at the fight and find that the substitute fighter is actually ready for the fight and in top shape, and soundly defeats Micky. Micky retreats from the world and forms a relationship with Charlene Fleming, a former college athlete who dropped out and became a bartender.

After several weeks, Alice arranges another fight for Micky, but Micky is concerned it will turn out the same. His mother and seven sisters blame Charlene for his lack of motivation. Micky mentions he received an offer to be paid to train in Las Vegas, but Dicky says he will match the offer so he can keep training and working with his family. Dicky then tries to get money by posing his girlfriend as a prostitute and then, once she picks up a client, impersonating a police officer to steal the client's money. This is foiled by the actual police and Dicky is arrested after a chase and a fight with them. Micky tries to stop the police from beating his brother and a police officer brutally breaks his hand before arresting him. At their arraignment, Micky is released, but Dicky is sent to jail. Micky washes his hands of Dicky.

On the night of the HBO documentary's airing, Dicky's family, and Dicky himself in prison, are horrified to see that it is called Crack in America and depicts how crack addiction ruined Dicky's career and life. Dicky begins training and trying to get his life together in prison. Micky is lured back into boxing by his father, who believes Alice and his stepson Dicky are bad influences and did more damage to his career than good. The other members of his training team and a new manager, Sal Lanano, persuade Micky to return to boxing with the explicit understanding that his mother and brother will no longer be involved. They place Micky in minor fights to help him regain his confidence. He is then offered another major fight against an undefeated up-and-coming boxer. During a prison visit, Dicky advises Micky on how best to work his opponent, but Micky feels his brother is being selfish and trying to restart his own failed career. During the actual match, Micky is nearly overwhelmed, but then implements his brother's advice and triumphs; he earns the title shot for which his opponent was being groomed.

Upon his release from prison, Dicky and his mother go to see Micky train. Assuming things are as they were, Dicky prepares to spar with his brother, but Micky informs him that he is no longer allowed per Micky's agreement with his current team. In the ensuing argument, in which Micky chastises both factions of his family, Charlene and his trainer leave in disgust. Micky and Dicky spar until Micky knocks Dicky down. Dicky storms off, presumably to get high again, and Alice chides Micky, only to be sobered when he tells her that she has always favored Dicky. Dicky returns to his crack house, where he says goodbye to his friends and heads to Charlene's apartment. He tells her that Micky needs both of them and they need to work together. After bringing everyone back together, the group goes to London for the title fight against welterweight champion Shea Neary. Micky scores another upset victory and the welterweight title. The film jumps a few years ahead, with Dicky crediting his brother as the creator of his own success.

The real-life brothers banter as the end credits run.


Cast



Production



Development


Scout Productions acquired the life rights of boxer Micky Ward and his brother, Dick Eklund, in July 2003. Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy were also hired to write the screenplay,[20] which was rewritten by Lewis Colick.[21] Mark Wahlberg joined the production in early 2005,[11] with the intention of doing Ward's life story "justice. We don't want to do any over-the-top, unrealistic fight scenes."[22] Paramount Pictures, the United States distributor of the film, hired Paul Attanasio to rewrite Collick's draft in February 2007 in an attempt to emphasize the themes of brotherhood and redemption. Hoping to start production in Massachusetts in June 2007,[21] Wahlberg had Martin Scorsese read the screenplay, hoping he would direct. Scorsese turned down the offer, finding the Massachusetts-setting redundant after having finished The Departed (2006).[23] The actor cited Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980) as an influence for The Fighter,[22] but Scorsese was not interested in directing another boxing film.[23] Darren Aronofsky was hired to direct in March 2007,[24] with Scott Silver rewriting the script in September 2007.[25] Paul Attanasio was also brought in as a script doctor to work on the film prior to shooting.[26]

"I’ve seen every boxing movie ever made. I’m also a huge fight fan. I fought a little bit when I was younger. Nobody in my opinion, and some of the greatest movies ever made – you talk Raging Bull and Rocky I saw 30 times – but the fighting just wasn't as realistic as what we hope to achieve and accomplish in this movie."

Mark Wahlberg in an October 2007 interview[5]

Production proceeded with filming set to begin October 2008[8] and Christian Bale replaced Brad Pitt.[9] By then Aronofsky had dropped out to work on MGM's RoboCop (2014),[27] followed by Black Swan (2010).[28] Wahlberg and Bale chose David O. Russell as Aronofsky's replacement. Wahlberg had also starred in Russell's Three Kings (1999) and I Heart Huckabees (2004).[9] Aronofsky was given an executive producer credit for his contributions on The Fighter, and was enthusiastic to have Russell as the director.[28] In April 2009, Relativity Media stepped up to entirely finance the film,[29] selling the international distribution rights to The Weinstein Company a month later.[30] The Fighter began principal photography on July 13, 2009, on an $11 million budget in a 33-day shooting schedule,[9] which was half the budget that Paramount was working with.[31] The production utilized Massachusetts' film tax credits to cover parts of the film's cost.[32]


Filming


Principal photography took place on location in Ward's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. Its boxing matches were shot at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, and gym scenes at Arthur Ramalho's West End Gym, one of the real-life facilities where Ward had trained.[15][33] The boxing-match footage was created "in big, choreographed sections that were taken directly from [video of] Micky's actual fights", said Russell. "And we used the actual commentary from [HBO's] Larry Merchant, Roy Jones Jr., and Jim Lampley." Russell used "[t]he actual cameras from that era. [They were] a sort of Beta [video-format] camera that gave a very certain look, and we actually hired the director from HBO and his crew who had done those fights"[15] to replicate them shot-for-shot.[5][11]


Comparison to actual events



Release


To promote the film, Wahlberg appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Men's Fitness, and Bale on Esquire,[14] in November 2010. An advanced charity premiere took place in Lowell, Massachusetts, the setting of The Fighter, on December 9, a day before the film's scheduled national release.[34]


Home media


The Fighter was released in a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack and standard DVD in the United States on March 15, 2011.


Reception



Critical reception


Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives The Fighter a rating of 91% based on reviews from 253 critics, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Led by a trio of captivating performances from Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre."[35] Metacritic gives the film an average score of 79 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[36]

The performances of (left to right) Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams garnered critical acclaim and were nominated for Academy Awards, with Bale and Leo winning.

Sports Illustrated dubbed the film the best sports film of the decade, and "one of the best since Martin Scorsese backlit Robert De Niro's Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull".[37] Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine named Christian Bale's performance one of the Top 10 Movie Performances of 2010, saying "In a little festival of tart, savory performances, notably from Melissa Leo as the boys' mother and Amy Adams as Micky's girlfriend, Bale shines the brightest, because he knows that no character, however depraved his status, is only a monster. He finds beauty in the beast".[38]


Box office


The Fighter had grossed $93.6 million in United States & Canada and in other territories it collected $35.5 million, for a worldwide total of $129.1 million; te film made a profit over its $25 million budget.[39][15]


Accolades


The film received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning two.[40] The film was nominated for six Golden Globe Awards: Best Picture (Drama), Best Actor (Drama) for Wahlberg, Best Supporting Actress for Leo and Adams, Best Supporting Actor for Bale, and a nomination for Best Director for Russell.[41] The film received three Chicago Film Critics award nominations: Best Supporting Actor for Bale, and Best Supporting Actress nominations for Adams and Leo. Bale won a Satellite Award, the Critics' Choice Award, the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, and the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor. Leo won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Awards
Ceremony Category Name Outcome
Academy Awards[42] Best Picture David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg Nominated
Best Director David O. Russell Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale Won
Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams Nominated
Melissa Leo Won
Best Original Screenplay Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington Nominated
Best Film Editing Pamela Martin Nominated
BAFTA Awards[43] Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics[44] Best Picture Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale Won
Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams Nominated
Melissa Leo Won
Best Acting Ensemble Won
Best Original Screenplay Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson & Keith Dorrington Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Best Director David O. Russell Nominated
ESPY Awards[45] Best Sports Movie Won
Golden Globe Awards[41] Best Picture – Drama Nominated
Best Director David O. Russell Nominated
Best Actor – Drama Mark Wahlberg Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale Won
Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams Nominated
Melissa Leo Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards[46] Best Acting Ensemble Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale Won
Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams Nominated
Melissa Leo Won

Sequel


Wahlberg has been involved in developing a sequel, The Fighter 2, which would focus on the legendary fight trilogy between Ward and Arturo Gatti.[47] In 2013, Jerry Ferrara signed on to play Gatti.[48] In 2015, producer Todd Lieberman came out with a statement the sequel is far from over. As of 2021 the sequel is still presumably in development.


Notes



    References


    1. "THE FIGHTER (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 21, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
    2. DeBruge, Peter. The Fighter (review). Variety, November 10, 2010
    3. The Fighter (movie details), Film Journal International "Blue Sheets"
    4. Watch the real documentary accessed 1/5/2016
    5. Murray, Rebecca (October 4, 2007). "Mark Wahlberg Discusses We Own the Night". About.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    6. Kimberly Nordyke (November 23, 2010). "Mark Wahlberg on Why Making 'The Fighter' Became an Obsession". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
    7. Staff (December 4, 2010). "In Sports, Wahlberg Finds Stories That Inspire". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
    8. Adler, Shawn (June 8, 2008). "Mark Wahlberg Reveals 'The Fighter' Will Take The Ring This Fall". MTV News. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    9. Gorov, Lynda (December 5, 2010). "Mark & Micky". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
    10. Weintraub, Steve (August 4, 2010). "Mark Wahlberg Exclusive Interview: The Other Guys; Also Talks Celtics and Future Projects like The Fighter, The Brazilian Job, More". Collider.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    11. Zimmerman, Mike (September 15, 2010). "The Mark Wahlberg Workout: Wahlberg's Theory of Evolution". Men's Health. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    12. Susan R. Nepales (December 3, 2010). "Wahlberg treasures friendship with Pacquiao". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
    13. Lim, Dennis (December 3, 2010). "Letting His Role Do the Talking". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    14. Richardson, John H. (November 15, 2010). "Christian Bale May Kill Someone Yet". Esquire. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    15. Lovece, Frank. "Winning Combination: Mark Wahlberg and David O. Russell Champion 'The Fighter'", Film Journal International, December 3, 2010
    16. Savard, Rita. "'The Fighter' Comes Home", Lowell Sun, December 10, 2010
    17. "Cindy A. Cooper - View Obituary & Service Information". Cindy A. Cooper Obituary.
    18. Driscoll, Anne (December 20, 2010). "Did You Spot Conan O'Brien's Sister in The Fighter?". People.
    19. "The Fighter (2010)". Chasing the Frog.
    20. Staff (July 31, 2003). "Scout Wins Boxing Tale". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    21. Fleming, Michael (February 13, 2007). "Wahlberg, Damon step into ring". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    22. Jacks, Brian (July 9, 2007). "Wahlberg Ready To Rumble For Aronofsky's 'Fighter'". MTV News. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    23. "Stax" (pseudonym) (February 22, 2007). "Wahlberg Talks The Fighter". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    24. Fleming, Michael & Pamela McClintock (March 26, 2007). "Aronofsky in talks to direct 'Fighter'". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    25. Fleming, Michael & Tatiana Siegel (September 20, 2007). "Brad Pitt laces up for 'Fighter'". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    26. "Paul Attanasio Bio". iMDB.
    27. Pedersen, Nicole. "It's Official! Darren Aronofsky Will Build A Better ROBOCOP", Collider.com, July 25, 2008
    28. Taylor, Drew (December 2, 2010). "Exclusive: Darren Aronofsky Talks Natalie Portman's Terrors & Metamorphosis' in 'Black Swan'". indieWire. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    29. Fleming, Michael,, and Tatiana Siegel (April 20, 2009). "Bale in ring with Wahlberg for 'Fighter'". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    30. Swart, Sharon (May 20, 2009). "TWC steps in ring with 'Fighter'". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
    31. Nikki Finke (February 13, 2011). "OSCAR MOGULS: Brad Grey Q&A". www.deadline.com. Retrieved March 5, 2011. Now on The Fighter, Paramount was developing it and then pulled out. Relativity comes in and cuts the budget by half.
    32. "Massachusetts Tax Credits Used to Cover Stars' Salaries". The Hollywood Reporter. January 12, 2011. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.. .
    33. Sackowitz, Karen. "Blood, Sweat, Cheers: Lowell gym helps youths learn boxing, confidence, and it stars in a new movie", The Boston Globe, June 10, 2010. WebCitation archive.
    34. Kimball, George (December 5, 2010). "'Fighter' more fiction than fact". Boston Herald. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
    35. The Fighter at Rotten Tomatoes
    36. The Fighter at Metacritic
    37. Torre, Pablo S. "And New Champion ..." Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
    38. Corliss, Richard (December 9, 2010). "The Top 10 Everything of 2010 – Christian Bale as Dickie Eklund in The Fighter". TIME. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
    39. "The Fighter (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
    40. "Awards for 2010". National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
    41. Tuesday, December 14, 2010 (December 14, 2010). "The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards NOMINATIONS | OFFICIAL WEBSITE of the HFPA and the GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS". Goldenglobes.org. Retrieved January 27, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    42. Stephen Schaefer. "Surprises amid the 83rd Oscar nominations". Retrieved January 25, 2011.
    43. "'The King's Speech' leads BAFTA Film Awards with 14 nominations".
    44. "Critics' Choice Awards". Retrieved January 15, 2011.
    45. "Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki win at ESPYs". ESPN.com. July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
    46. "The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Retrieved January 18, 2011.
    47. Aranda, Ramon. "Mark Wahlberg Confirms The Fighter 2 in the Works", 3MoreRounds.com, June 10, 2011
    48. Kroll, Justin (October 3, 2013). "Jerry Ferrara to Play Boxer Arturo Gatti in Biopic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.



    На других языках


    [de] The Fighter (2010)

    The Fighter ist ein US-amerikanisches biografisches Sport-Drama aus dem Jahr 2010, welches auf dem Leben des ehemaligen Boxweltmeisters Micky Ward beruht. Der Film gewann bei der Oscarverleihung 2011 zwei Auszeichnungen in den Kategorien beste Nebendarstellerin und bester Nebendarsteller.
    - [en] The Fighter

    [it] The Fighter (film 2010)

    The Fighter è un film del 2010 diretto da David O. Russell.

    [ru] Боец (фильм, 2010)

    «Боец» (англ. The Fighter) — художественный фильм режиссёра Дэвида О. Расселла, основанный на реальной истории двух братьев-боксёров — действующего и бывшего, — преодолевших глубокие личные драмы, сплотившись вокруг цели завоевания мирового чемпионского титула. Главную роль исполнил Марк Уолберг. Премьера в США состоялась 10 декабря 2010 года в ограниченном прокате, а в российском прокате прошла 23 февраля 2011 года[2].



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