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The Fighter

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for The Fighter R Released Dec 17, 2010 1h 56m Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 254 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
For Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), boxing is a family affair. His tough-as-nails mother is his manager. His half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), once a promising boxer himself, is his very unreliable trainer. Despite Micky's hard work, he is losing and, when the latest fight nearly kills him, he follows his girlfriend's advice and splits from the family. Then Micky becomes a contender for the world title and he -- and his family -- earns a shot at redemption.
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The Fighter

The Fighter

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Critics Consensus

Led by a trio of captivating performances from Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online Overall The Fighter is a touching, soulful knockout of a movie. Rated: A Sep 9, 2017 Full Review Philip French Guardian Both Wahlberg and Bale are excellent in their different registers, as are Melissa Leo and Amy Adams as the differently calibrated women. Feb 7, 2011 Full Review David Sexton London Evening Standard Wahlberg, always so physically solid, is deep inside himself in this role. Rated: 4/5 Feb 4, 2011 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson While at its core, The Fighter does become a predictable boxing comeback film building to that Hollywood ending, the performances and acting clinic in action are worth your attention and audience. Rated: 4/5 Oct 13, 2024 Full Review Danilo Castro Next Best Picture Bale, Leo, and Adams are exceptional, and Russell’s ability to imbue a conventional underdog premise with his high-strung eccentricities gives the film a unique texture. Rated: 8/10 Jul 11, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand The film falls somewhere between bare-knuckle and blue collar, brought to the screen with that docu-style handheld-camera that indie filmmakers so love to use for bracing reality, and Irish family melodrama... Aug 19, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Charlie R I have read several times that in romance the opposite of love is not hate it is indifference. That came to mind today in 2024 when I watched an old talk show clip with guest Amy Adams. That led me to look up the film being discussed because I didn't recognize anything mentioned. My surprise was that I had seen it soon after it came out and I had obviously completely forgotten. Now I had to think back and all that came to me was Christian Bale doing a lot of mumbling and looking confused but not one scene or quote was recalled. I usually remember something in particular from movies as to why I think they were poor. The Fighters didn't warrant even that. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/24/24 Full Review Stephen H Just superb all around. Incredible performances. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/11/24 Full Review Audience Member With a fantastic plot and even better acting from everyone involved, this is as good as it gets for a boxing movie. I'd dare to even say the best Wahlberg movie to date. Christian Bale does what he does best and delivers a very compelling drug addicted crap stain. Don't sleep on this movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/14/24 Full Review Tony P Another one of my all time favorite movies which had a really good cast with a very good story! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/28/24 Full Review Max W Great story with a satisfying ending. Loved both Wahlberg and Bale. HEAD BODY HEAD BODY Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/27/24 Full Review Dan R Probably the best sport biopic movie, 2 stories being told along side each other, definitely tugging on a few heart strings. My favourite Christian Bale performance, true work of art. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/08/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Fighter

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Cast & Crew

The Fighter

The Fighter: Official Clip - Micky Fights Sanchez The Fighter: Official Clip - Micky Fights Sanchez 2:05 The Fighter: Official Clip - Making Things Right The Fighter: Official Clip - Making Things Right 2:13 The Fighter: Official Clip - I Thought You Were My Mother Too The Fighter: Official Clip - I Thought You Were My Mother Too 1:53 The Fighter: Official Clip - Don't Call Me Skank The Fighter: Official Clip - Don't Call Me Skank 1:52 The Fighter: Official Clip - Dickie Sings the Blues The Fighter: Official Clip - Dickie Sings the Blues 2:13 The Fighter: Official Clip - The Fighting Family The Fighter: Official Clip - The Fighting Family 2:02 The Fighter: Official Clip - Dickie Takes the Cake The Fighter: Official Clip - Dickie Takes the Cake 1:49 The Fighter: Official Clip - That's My Life The Fighter: Official Clip - That's My Life 1:16 The Fighter: Official Clip - There Wasn't Even Any Good Sex in It The Fighter: Official Clip - There Wasn't Even Any Good Sex in It 2:13 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis For Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), boxing is a family affair. His tough-as-nails mother is his manager. His half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), once a promising boxer himself, is his very unreliable trainer. Despite Micky's hard work, he is losing and, when the latest fight nearly kills him, he follows his girlfriend's advice and splits from the family. Then Micky becomes a contender for the world title and he -- and his family -- earns a shot at redemption.
Director
David O. Russell
Producer
David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Mark Wahlberg, Dorothy Aufiero, Paul Tamasy
Screenwriter
Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Relativity, Closest to the Hole, Mandeville Films
Rating
R (Language Throughout|Drug Content|Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$93.6M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS
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