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David O. Russell may not seem the most obvious choice to helm another underdog boxing story (and, in fact, wasn’t; the project has bounced around for years, landing in the laps of, among others, Martin Scorsese and Darren Aronofsky). But while the true story of “Irish” Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) has all the makings of a Rocky-style “triumph of the human spirit,” Russell finds plenty of fodder for his more caustic imaginings in Ward’s family. The most monumental obstacles Ward confronts come out of being born into a large Massachusetts clan seemingly intent on undercutting any chance of success in the name of a delusional family honor. Chief among these is Ward’s crack-addicted half brother Dicky Eklund, the pride of their hometown for once having knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard (or at least shared the ring when the champ tripped). Christian Bale, who has spent entirely too much time of late growling his way through action-hero roles, plays Dicky as a goggle-eyed, disheveled dynamo, an ingratiating self-promoter whose never-ceasing line of patter bulldozes over his obvious bullshit. But the Ward-Eklund clan is a matriarchy presided over by the brothers’ imperious and manipulative mother (Melissa Leo), assisted by their seven sisters, portrayed as a gaggle of white trash gargoyles. Russell at times succumbs to a penchant for cheap caricature, indicative of the film’s uneven tone, never deciding between black comedy or hardscrabble drama. But he wisely shoots the boxing scenes with vintage video cameras and an actual HBO crew, which renders the fights with the distance of watching at home, keeping all the direct brutality within the aggressive messiness of life outside the ring. —Shaun Brady

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Official Site: www.TheFighterMovie.com

Rating:	R
Director:	David O. Russell
Cast:	Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Robert Wahlberg, Dendrie Taylor, Jack McGee, Jenna Lamia, Salvatore Santone, Chanty Sok
Release Date:	December 10, 2010 (Limited), December 17, 2010 (Nationwide)
Running Time:	114
Distributor:	Paramount Pictures
Producer:	Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Ryan Kavanaugh
Genre:	Drama
Advisory:	for language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality