The Fighter (2010) ****1/2

This is another awards-season film from several years ago that I let slip by me. My mistake. David O. Russell's “The Fighter” is a boxing classic on par with “Rocky.” The film is based on the life of welterweight boxer “Irish Micky” Ward, but if, like me, you aren't familiar with Ward's career, I would suggest watching the movie before reading anything about him.

The film tells the story of Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his half-brother Dicky Eklund. Dicky (Christian Bale) is also a boxer, a local legend known for having once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard. Dicky is a mess now, a skinny crack addict with bad teeth. He is supposed to be helping his brother train, but he is completely unreliable. Ward doesn't fare much better with his manager, his mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), who seems mostly interested in getting what she can for herself and Dicky out of Ward's fights.

Ward is on a string of losses, partly due to poor management and training, when he meets Charlene (Amy Adams), a bartender and college dropout. Alice and Ward's sisters immediately dislike Charlene, partly because she is just slightly classier and smarter than them, mostly because she threatens their control over him and his career. Under Charlene's influence, Ward starts to realize that what his family wants may not be what's best for him.

I don't want to give away any more of the story. It's too good. I don't know how much poetic license Russell took with Ward's life, but he crafted one hell of a story. Christian Bale is an amazing actor, unafraid to transform his body for a role. With his skeletal face and bad teeth, he looks as much the crackhead as Pookie from "New Jack City."  Mark Wahlberg is no Tom Hanks, but he uses his limited acting range well. Melissa Leo won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this role, although it's a bit tougher to appreciate her largely unsympathetic character.

It's a great cast telling a great story about working-class dreams. Comparisons to “Rocky” are inevitable. Both films tell the story of a boxer fighting his way up from the bottom with the help of a good woman. “Rocky” has the more rousing narrative arc, while “The Fighter” is more realistic, which makes sense given that the latter film is based on a true story. It's amazing how satisfying a story Russell creates without straying too far from the facts. “The Fighter” should join films like “Rocky” and “Raging Bull” in the pantheon of great boxing movies.

4.5 stars out of 5