The Fighter

Christian Bale. Christian Bale, Christian Bale, Christian Bale. And Melissa Leo. The movie was entertaining as a whole, and has awesome fight sequences, but Bale and Leo stole the show. The two play a pair of completely wretched human beings, but through some intense characterization and relationhips with Mark Wahlbergs character, you still feel for in the end. The realness of this whole story is what made it for me, coupled with the actual story of how it came to be (Mark Wahlberg bought the story, from his home town in Southie years ago, so that he could be the one to produce it and make sure it happened.)

Christian Bale blew me away. Everybody knows he is a character actor, as seen in The Machinist and American Psycho, but this portrayal was flawless. He transformed his body into that of an addict, and took on all the ticks and habits of the real life character as we saw during the credits of the movie when the real life people that the movie was based on were shown. Additionally, Melissa Leo gave an amazing performance as the over-bearing matriarch that you wanted to slap through the whole movie.

I was excited before seeing the movie for Amy Adams performance, as it is a role very far outside the roles we have seen her in, but I was a little let down. It was definitely refreshing to see her swear (a lot) and show a little skin, but I wish she had gotten a little grittier...although one of my favorite seens in the movie was her beating on the ugly sisters. Mark Wahlberg was another that didn't necessarily wow me--he played the character well, but did anybody really expect Markie Mark to get an acting nomination? That being said, he was better than I thought he would be. And he looked good.

Overall, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo carried the movie. I really felt that the on screen relationships that the two made were what drove the movie. Without the two of them, I don't think that the movie would have been anywhere near as successfull. Again, I think this movie will be nominated for an oscar for best film, but don't think it will win...the ensemble as a whole wasn't strong enough. I think that Bale has it for supporting, and Leo has a good shot also.

My rating: B+