The Fighter was written by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson. It tells the story of a young boxer by the name of “Irish” Micky Ward from a working class, blue-collar town of Lowell, Massachusetts. The film shows his rise to become world welterweight champion throughout the 90’s. Micky is trained by his half-brother Dicky Eklund, who was also once a boxer but believes he will make a comeback after his experiences with drugs and crime. The Fighter seamlessly fuses an underdog boxer story, with an intense family drama, while injecting humor along the way. The movie also turns into a complicated exploration of drug abuse and working class American families. The charm of the movie is due to the directing and performances, as I do not think the screenplay was the highlight of the movie, as the story seemed predictable. However, there were scenes that did stand out and others that bothered me.
When they see the title of the film, viewers will probably not be surprised to discover what the film is about. However, the writers’ choice is an interesting one as it conveys the many meanings of the film. Not only does it refer to Micky Ward winning the championship and trying to remove himself from his sleazy family who desire fame, but Dicky Eklund overcoming his drug addiction as well as his own pride.
In the opening scene of the film, Micky and Dicky are walking down the street and it is shown that Dicky is well liked due to his magnetic personality. Dicky is also excited as HBO is filming a documentary on him tracking his supposed comeback. The ending of the film is so satisfying because Dicky completely earns that moment by putting aside everyone thinking he is the best, realizing he missed his chance, and now Micky has to take his. The transformation of Dicky throughout the movie is a great character arc and when he is totally on Micky’s side, it was more thrilling and exciting than the actual final fight.
One of my favorite parts of the movie was the...