Lord of the ring

Director: David O Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo

Mark Wahlberg plays boxer ‘Irish’ Micky Ward – the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts – who goes from being a punching bag for better boxers to eventually triumph in the ring despite his rocky upbringing as part of a sprawling, dysfunctional family including six sisters, an overbearing mother and an older half-brother whose own boxing career was cut short by drug addiction and imprisonment.

Based on a true story, The Fighter is a powerful biopic that features a great cast punching well above their weight, chief among them Christian Bale as Dicky Ecklund, Mickey’s bug-eyed crack-addicted brother-cum-trainer.

The fight sequences are visceral and realistic. Russell puts you right in the ring – and Wahlberg has the moves and the physique to be credible as a determined, thinking fighter.

The Fighter is a rousing, captivating and heartfelt piece of work filled with heavyweight performances. It’s a knockout!

Genre: Biography | Drama | Sport
Age Restriction: R
Runtime: 115 min