Review for ‘The Fighter’

Before you even sit down and watch The Fighter it is already apparent that this movie reflects Christian Bales career. He has had some ups (such as the American Psycho) and some downs (need I remind people of the on set freak out). However as he has shown he is once again back on top form along with Mark Walberg and Melissa Leo in David O. Russell’s story of someone following their dreams.

Based on a true story, Micky (Mark Walberg) a small time boxer who’s trainer is his older brother Dicky (Christian Bale) has only been a steppingstone for other boxers. But that’s not Micky’s only problem, whilst battling his latest opponents he is also battling with a controlling mother (Melissa Leo), a crack addicted brother Dicky, an ex-wife who won’t let him see his daughter all the while trying to keep everything in his life together. After loosing an important match, Micky feels as if his career is over as he is being pulled at by several separate things in his life. After meeting Charlene (Amy Adams) a college drop out from a bar, she is soon to boost the fighters moral and help him accomplish his dreams.

Despite the movie being compared to Rocky, The Fighter doesn’t feel too much as if it is living in the shadows of it’s older brother. There is enough in the movie about family conflict to keep the audience focused on the important issues rather then simply the fighting. It goes without saying that it won’t be remembered like Rocky or Raging Bull however that doesn’t mean it’s bad, just very forgettable.

One of the most impressive parts of David O. Russell’s directing involves the sections in the boxing ring as the camera jumps to an ESPN style of live sporting to add authenticity. And the authenticity doesn’t end there; Micky’s training gym is the actual location where the real boxer spent his time training for fights and to add to that Mickey O’Keefe (one Micky’s trainer) plays himself with some dignity and surprising talent.

            At one point The Fighter had Darren Aronofsky’s name attached (before he decided to make Black Swan), and it’s easy to see why as some of the issues which we saw in Aronofsky’s The Wrestler are seen here but without the sheer brutality as we saw with Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson. The Fighter feels much more like a Hollywood by the numbers film with little originality. O. Russell never goes to much extremes as the film doesn’t take much thought about the effect boxing has on the body, even though Micky is constantly being beaten for rounds on end he seems to shrug of the bruises.

            All in all The Fighter is no where as edgy as films such as Raging Bull or The Wrestler and doesn’t have the apple of lasting effect however is still an enjoyable movie as Bale shows he’s back on top form as some major slips.

* * *

Kevin Smith invents INDIE 2.0

Kevin Smith has upset Hollywood. The Clerks director premiered his latest movie; Red State last month at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and after a rumoured auction turned out to be true, his producer Jon Gordon sold Smith the rights to his own movie. In the speech that followed Smith talked about how "Indie film isn't dead. It just grew up," before announcing that the writer director himself would be taking the movie on a road trip, much like what happened with Gone With the Wind. Red State with be toured around various cities and after the screening Smith do a Q&A along with lead actor Michael Parks.

Red State is the story of three teenage boys who go into the woods looking for sex but instead find God as horror unfolds involving fundamentalist Christians. The cast includeds Michael Parks, John Goodman, Malissa Leo and Kyle Gallner who recently stared in the remake of a Nightmare on Elm Street.

Smith has a fan base and knows it after creating the successful Smodcast Podcast Network, and is only aiming for his personally audience. However not everyone is as happy as the director, Marketing people and Studios are apparently up in arms after Smith confessed that even though the movie cost five million to make, a studio would waste twenty million just on advertisements. Smith has taken time to research and design a plan to get his movie distributed without big companies throwing money at it but the bit question is; will it work?

Is this the true future for independent cinema? It is apparent these days that independent film-makers are finding it hard to get their films distributed however showcasing it in theatres around the country might be a good way to get buzz for the movie and to find a distributor.

Has all this controversy destroyed the movies reputation before it’s general release sometime in October? Red State will be debuting on tour March 5 at New York's Radio City Music Hall and hitting major U.S. cities throughout March before ending on April 4 in Seattle. This month the movie will be playing at the Berlin Film Festival and Smith hopes to get the movie distributed in Europe in October to make the seventeenth anniversary of his original movie Clerks, which put his name on the map. After seventeen years of independent and studio films, is Smith doing the right thing with indie 2.0 and is this the future?


Kevin Smith speech at Sundance Film Festival