The Fighter (2010)

The Fighter: Directed by David O. Russell. With Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo. Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

“In many ways, u0026quot;The Fighteru0026quot; is the film of 2011. A family drama with a pugilistic background. The punches, physical and emotional in and out of the ring took me completely by surprise. What didnu0026#39;t surprise me was Mark Wahlbergu0026#39;s signature all over the place. Let me explain: Many years ago I was at a lecture by director Martin Donovan when during the Qu0026amp;A somebody made fun of the fact that Calvin Klein underwear model Marky Mark had played a part (his first acting role) in Donovanu0026#39;s made for TV u0026quot;The Substituteu0026quot; Donovan with elegance, wit and firmness destroyed the guy asking the question, describing Wahlbergu0026#39;s strengths and ended up saying u0026quot;Mark Wahlberg will be one of the top actors around and he will probably be running Hollywood within a decadeu0026quot; I had Donovanu0026#39;s words buzzing in my ears when I sat speechless watching u0026quot;Boogie Nightsu0026quot;. Wahlberg also produced u0026quot;Entourageu0026quot; and the startling u0026quot;In Treatmentu0026quot;. He now produced u0026quot;The Fighteru0026quot; and his performance, interior and powerful, dominates the film allowing other members of the cast, to shine in truly showy roles, Christian Bale for instance – really good. Melissa Leo is a stand out as the mother/manager. Superb. So I wonu0026#39;t be surprised to see Mark Wahlberg receiving the top honors at the next Academy Awards, as an actor and producer. He certainly deserves it. Bravo!”