The Fighter
Netflix Streaming
DVD | Blu-Ray
Directed by David O. Russell
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Jack McGee
Paramount Pictures
Originally Released: December 10, 2010

The Fighter is a boxing movie, featuring Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward and a show-stealing Christian Bale acting as Ward’s brother, Dicky Eklund. Based on a true story, the film follows Ward’s rise in the sport, while focusing on the inner turmoil of his family members – but ultimately is a tale of fall-from-grace, resulting in deliverance and reconciliation.

The film opens with an HBO crew following Eklund, who believes they are following him for “his big comeback” in the ring. He lives for his wonder days of when he himself was boxing, and continually bringing up the time he took down Sugar Ray. In fact, the HBO crew is following Eklund for a different reason – they are making a documentary on crack addiction.