Having never been much of a fan of Mark Wahlberg's acting, I was pleased to see him cast as the strong, soft-spoken type while the cast's real heavy hitters claim center stage. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo clearly relish their chance to play such a manipulative, self-centered pair, with both lending their roles an unusual amount of depth and character. Beneath the dark cloud of bitter dreams and selfishness that surrounded both, I could tell they saw more than just a meal ticket in Micky's unlikely climb up the ranks, though they certainly took full advantage of the perks.

The Fighter is really at its best when it’s teetering on the brink of two extremes, with loyalty and family bonds tugging in one direction while self-preservation and a devoted love interest pull in the other, and a lot of the air goes out of the story when there isn't some manner of blowoff prior to the climax. The majority of the picture spotlights poor Micky, trying to choose between a rock and a hard place, and in the end he never actually makes a decision, which I guess fits with his unsure personality.

The filming techniques are noteworthy, with a drastically different look and feel setting the mood for documentary scenes, family drama and fights, respectively. It’s a solid flick, though not one I'd have expected to get a best picture nod.

Two brothers. Two fighters. One has had his time and his now a junkie - Dicky (Christian Bale), and the other is in the shape of his life, with his career ahead of him - Micky (Mark Wahlberg). The two love eachother, but one is on his way up, and the other is on his way down. Lets just say, it is not without problems. This is based on a true story, btw, and we see the two brothers by the credits (lovely idea, and also shows us how true the actors are to the real brothers).

The story is centered around Micky, but we also get a lot of insight into his crazy family, which consists of a mad and devoted mother (Melissa Leo), a hundred sisters and of course, the father who is just trying to survive in the ocean of women. They all mean well, but damn, I am glad my family is different from them.

I've never (big word in this case, but still) been a big David O. Russell fan. His movies has been a little too... fancy for my liking, and with a weird sense of humor (seriously, I've never understood what why everyone liked Silver Linings Playbook). However, this one really took me by the heart and flipped me around. It is a very emotional story, and the fact that it's a true story, only makes it so much better. Also, the actors are great, especially the two brothers, Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. They have enough contrasts between them to make it really interesting.

_Last words... forget the boxing matches. They are ok, but its the story between the brothers that is the real story here. I mean... that last scene with the two being interviewed... that got me so bad. It is a predictable story, but really, I can forgive that, since the rest is so good._

A really good movie like you don't easily find lately.

Great story, without getting into getting cheesy and great cat. Specially remarkable Christian Bale and Amy Adams but they all perform superb.

Just waiting for the second part ...

what can i say ... this movie was pure.... the main thing in this movie is the acting of the casts... everyone was natural in their role ....but can't take a little bit of credit from Christian Bale , Amy Adams & Melissa Leo ...these 3 were so natural in their acting that it was phenomenal ... Mark Wahlberg did his job but needed a bit more...Bale and Leo was totally into their characters ..but the fun fact is i didn't even know these 2 got oscars from this ... when i found out i was shocked and happy that my praising for these 2 were right..... IMDB rate 7.8 is good but i will give it a 7... it was a boxing movie but not a boxing movie ...this movie mainly focused on their way of life and what they are as a family ... I thought Alice Ward (played by Melissa Leo ) or the mother character was not a developed one...but in the end this movie proved me wrong and i am happy with it .... I loved the songs in it ..loved the build up...loved the pureness... and totally loved Christian Bale ... don't watch the trailer i repeat DON'T WATCH THE TRAILER... it is a heck of a spoiler and can diminish your excitement for the movie...IT WAS A GOOD WATCH