Writer: Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang

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Watch this if you liked: “Ali”, “The Wrestler”, “Million Dollar Baby”, “The Town”

Boxing biopic "The Fighter" isn't "Ip Man" in terms of fight action nor "The Wrestler" in terms of the emotional resonance that usually follow this genre - but it is a solid entertainer with a decent enough narrative, backed by a powerful, committed cast.

The white underclass gets the spotlight in this tale about real-life welterweight pro boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) from Lowell, Massachusetts, who once held the World Boxing Union belt; and his half-brother Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), 'The Pride Of Lowell', who was featured in HBO's "America Undercover" documentary "High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell". It's a family drama with very, very watchable characters; a suitably trashy Amy Adams playing Ward's romantic interest and a chain-smoking Melissa Leo playing his manageress mum, not to mention the seven sisters that hang about in the house complaining about life.

Devoid of the cheap sentimentality that would have been easy to milk from this setup, the screenplay for "The Fighter" thankfully focuses on the fleetingness of family dynamics, paving the way for some truly ace performances. To date, the chameleonic Christian Bale has already bagged a Golden Globe for his role here as the charming has-been brother and he steals every scene from his co-stars, particularly from a repressed Wahlberg, who looks a bit confused with his role, although suspiciously intentional and strangely effective. Well, he must know what he's doing since he has fought for years to bring this story to the silver screen as a producer as well. However, as Roger Ebert's review pointed out, Wahlberg's distant take of Micky doesn't ask for too much audience involvement, so we don't end up caring for the character as much as we should. Funny how anyone who follows boxing would know of Micky's history of sustaining beatings round after round before a late TKO with a left hook and expect the movie to do the same.

Still, "The Fighter" packs a punch that is steady enough to warrant your attention. You will enjoy it enough, if only just to see Christian Bale jump out of a crack house window not once but twice in the movie to avoid being found out by his mother.

Cinema Online, 18 January 2011