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Film Review – The Fighter

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Although I’m a knowledgeable sports fan, I entered the Dayton Mall theatre knowing little to nothing about the life of working class boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his half brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). I assumed, though, that as a boxing movie, “The Fighter” was most likely about a lovable, down and out boxer who improbably seized a fluke opportunity to realize his dream of becoming world champ. The fact that this assumption turned out to be accurate did not make “The Fighter” any less enjoyable.

I’d imagine that this was a passable plot line in the eyes of Paramount execs despite the predictability and commonality of it (“Rocky,” “Cinderella Man,” “Million Dollar Baby”) because, you know, it actually happened and it’s a good story. What stands out about “The Fighter” in comparison to other boxing movies are the authenticity of the fight scenes and Micky’s comically destructive family, who, despite their good intentions, almost seem to be actively trying to keep him from any sort of success. At the forefront is Dicky, a former promising boxer turned crack addict who unsurprisingly can’t figure out how to balance crack addiction and helping Micky realize his own unfulfilled dreams. Christian Bale absolutely kills it as Dicky Eklund; shedding his celebrity in a scene-stealing supportive role.

Had I not seen Wahlberg explain the process of shooting the fight scenes while being interviewed on Conan, “We beat the crap out of each other,” I wouldn’t have known how they captured such realistic landed punches. I watched clips of a number of Micky Ward’s actual fights and was not surprised to see that the fight scenes from “The Fighter” looked like shot for shot remakes of the real thing. Wahlberg completely avoids the clumsy actor portraying a fluid athlete problem that is often a distraction in sports movies. DiCaprio in “Basketball Diaries” and Tom Berenger in “Major League” come to mind.

In most boxing movies I’ve seen, I find myself impatiently waiting for the next fight scene. In “The Fighter” the fight scenes are exciting, impeccably done and there are actually relatively few of them, but the excitement and anticipation of the fights does not overshadow the surrounding story. The absurdity of Micky’s family – from Dicky’s antics, to their overprotective, maniacally controlling mother (Melissa Leo),

to his seven sisters blindly serving the will of their mom – speak to the unlikeliness of Micky’s success in the ring and encourage the audience to be personally invested in the outcome of the fights.

As much as I enjoyed “The Fighter,” I was disappointed by the ending. The obligatory biographical movie ending – white text on black background explaining Micky’s life after movie – was fine with me, but seeing merely in text that he went on to have his most memorable, brutal fights against all time great Arturo Gatti left me thinking, “Really? What the hell? Show me THAT!” Fortunately, the fight scenes and the acting performances, especially Bale’s, more than make up for the feelings of unfulfillment the ending leaves with the audience and make “The Fighter” well worth a watch.

Film Review – 127 Hours

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127 Hours

I haven’t been forced to look away while watching a movie since the frat boys eating dog semen-filled donuts scene from “Van Wilder” nearly made me vomit in 2002. Like I’m sure most members of the modest afternoon Neon Movies crowd seeing “127 Hours” on the Friday after Thanksgiving, I was familiar with the Aron Ralston story and expected that the inevitable self-amputation scene might force my eyes away from the screen for the first time in eight years of steady movie going.

I was also concerned that a movie about a hiker/rock climber getting stuck in a canyon for five days, only to free himself by hacking off his own right arm, might be mostly dull, then needlessly gruesome. I’d imagine director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Sunshine”) might have shared those concerns. It turned out that James Franco’s (“Milk,” “General Hospital”) portrayal of Ralston’s five days in the canyon were actually quite entertaining and endearing because Franco does a terrific job conveying Ralston’s humanity, humor, and most importantly, his will to live.

Ultimate Solitude

Ralston is a self-sufficient nature lover and adventurer who was as much in search of solitude as natural beauty. When, while hiking in Utah, Ralston falls down a narrow canyon and gets his right arm pinned between a boulder and the canyon wall, he is forced into solitude for five days, all the while contemplating how his independent, possibly selfish personality may have as much to do with his agonizing predicament as does the rock that keeps him from leaving the canyon.

Because the Ralston story received such attention, the audience knows that he must amputate his right arm in order to free himself and avoid dying in the canyon. Of course, cutting off his own arm was not Ralston’s first attempt at escape and because Franco’s Ralston is so easy to root for, I found myself foolishly hoping that he’d be able to chip away enough of the boulder with his pocketknife to escape, or that the pulley system he fashioned would do the trick, or that the flash flood that loosened the boulder was reality and not just a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and despair.

By the time Ralston is forced to accept the fact that he must cut off his own arm or die, I knew that my eyes would be glued to the screen during the amputation. At that point, the audience is so invested in Ralston’s survival, I’m sure I was not alone in thinking that it’d be insulting to Franco’s performance and Aron Ralston himself to look away. And, while the amputation scene is graphic and difficult to watch, I found it more an emotional display of Ralston’s intense need to survive, rather than shock and awe gore.

The Real Aron Ralston

Like many of the best movies made, “127 Hours” is only showing in Dayton at The Neon. If you’re considering seeing “127 Hours” but are concerned about being able to make it through the amputation scene without fainting, just know that it’s more beautiful than grotesque and that The Neon, as always, has alcoholic beverages available.