'The Fighter' packs a one-two punch

Sports films, for the most part, tend to focus on a whole team of players. They share the same athletic goal to defeat the better teams. Therefore, we don't pay attention to just one athlete, but to the team as a whole, as a family. Boxing, however, is different. It's not a team sport, so films centered around boxing are also different. There is one boxer that's there for us to cheer for. He doesn't have an athletic team as a support system. He has his family on the sidelines, who just like us, are rooting for him and supplying encouragement. That has been the appeal to me for boxing films. It's one person's journey for a title. David O. Russell's biographical sports drama, The Fighter, is an exercise in the pain that a pugilist can feel both in and out of the ring.

Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) has had boxing in his blood as he grew-up in Lowell, Massachusetts. He always admired his older half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), and was taught all of his boxing techniques from him. Micky gains a career in the boxing ring as a "stepping stone," but is determined to make a name for himself with the help of his brother and family. After Dicky's cocaine addiction and dysfunctional family almost cause Micky's chance at the Welterweight Championship, Dicky must redeem himself and help Micky train to prepare for the boxing matches that lay ahead.

The explosive cast holds some of the most committed performances this year. Mark Wahlberg doesn't play his character like a big, tough jock. He portrays Micky as someone with a calm sensibility, but who still has a tough, determined spirit. Despite his strength, he still acknowledges the help from his family. Micky is an athlete, but also a family man. Christian Bale, who lost weight again for a film role, proves again to be very dedicated to his work. As the half-brother of Micky, he completely disappears into his character. We see him as a caring brother, then a sufferer of drug-addiction, and then, a coach who will do everything he can to help his brother win. Bale's Boston accent in the film is faultless and seems to come natural to him.

Melissa Leo proves to be a loving, yet firm parental-figure. As Alice, the mother of the two boys, she is a parent who will do anything for her children's success in the ring. Butting heads with people throughout the film, she is one tough firecracker. She only wants the best for Mickey, but doesn't know what he wants for himself. Watching Amy Adams as Micky's tough girlfriend, Charlene Fleming, is very good fun. Adams isn't as sweet and good-natured as her other roles in her previous films. She makes a brave change into tomboy territory, and nails it. Seeing her scrap with Micky's seven unkempt sisters and use "colorful" language when arguing is proof that Adams isn't afraid to step outside of her comfort zone. It's a whole new side of her.

The Fighter is a boxing story, but it's not just about that. It focuses every bit as much on the troubles that Mickey confronts outside of the ring as on the inside. The dynamics of the family are addressed, and the flaws of each character are exposed. Because of this, there's an ample amount of family drama in between the sports drama. The Fighter is filmed using the shaky-cam method, and it looks like a real sports documentary with all of the bloodied boxing matches, as well as the behavior of a dysfunctional family we're all too familiar with on reality television. With its winning cast, rousing story and boxing glory, this film will attract any diehard sports fan or movie fan. Step into the ring.

Final grade: A