Punch-Drunk Love: 'The Fighter'

'The Fighter,' based on the life of fighter Micky Ward, is a true knockout.

Boxing fans that have spent time in Atlantic City know Micky Ward as one of the toughest fighters to ever mix it up in the ring, including three legendary battles with the late Arturo Gatti.

The Fighter, directed by David O. Russell (Three Kings) and starring Mark Wahlberg as Ward and Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund, Ward’s half-brother and trainer, takes a long, fascinating look at Ward’s life outside the ring as well as inside it.

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Movie critic shorthand would be to say that this story, about a fighter whose family is too involved in his life and career, is a real life Rocky.

When we first meet Ward, in his tight knit working class town of Lowell, Mass., his boxing career is taking a nosedive. With his mother (Melissa Leo) as his manager, and the older brother he idolized spending more time at the local crack house than the gym training him, Ward has been set up for failure in the ring. With his mom, brother and seven busybody sisters telling him what he should do, the man who has to take the punches doesn’t have much say in his career.

It would be too easy to call this a dysfunctional family. A better description would be a family that lives life at the top of their lungs, with Micky as the quiet one in the middle.

Ward doesn’t seem to have a chance, but the love of a good woman (played by Amy Adams) and the advice of his mentor outside the family ring — Mickey O’Keefe, a Lowell cop who plays himself in the movie — give him a clear view of a successful future.

The film follows the standard arc of a boxing picture; the ups and downs followed by the moment of triumph in the ring and in life. Director Russell and his superb cast manage to bob and weave around the clichés to make the story resonate beyond the standard confines of the genre.

Bale is fascinating as a drug addict who is more aware than most of what he has lost and what he might gain if he gets off the pipe for good. Melissa Leo, as the stage mother who directs Micky’s life without any input from him, takes this showy role and chews through the scenery like a beaver on crack — but in a good way.

Wahlberg is the generous man in the middle. His calm is the nice contrast to the insanity generated by his family. Too often the quiet acting doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, but without his contribution, Bale and Leo, both pegged as surefire Oscar nominees, would not shine nearly as brightly.

The Fighter wins the heart of the audience with a unanimous decision.

The Fighter

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Mark Wahlberg on Why Making 'The Fighter' Became an Obsession

Mark Wahlberg, who plays blue-collar boxer "Irish" Micky Ward in the upcoming film The Fighter, told CBS' 60 Minutes that making the movie was far from easy.

For four years, the actor underwent a grueling training schedule -- building a boxing ring in his own home and training eight to 10 hours a day -- not knowing whether the film would even get made as directors and co-stars came and went.

"There were certainly times where I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, you know, my trainer would ring the bell, and, 'Oh God,' " said Wahlberg, who insisted on doing his own stunts. "I'm like, 'I better get this movie made.' You know, 'Kill somebody if I don't get this movie made.''

But Wahlberg persisted because he could see glimpses of his life story in Ward's; both are one of nine kids and grew up in working-class Massachusetts. He also was a huge fan of Ward's, calling him a "local sports hero."

Meanwhile, doing his own stunts in the movie resulted in him nearly getting his nose broken a couple of times.

Because when we shot the fights, the goal for me was always to make it as real as possible," he said in the 60 Minutes episode that aired Sunday.

The actor, who grew up in the Dorchester section of Boston, dropped out of school when he was 13 and used to sneak out of his bedroom window at night to drink and steal things including cars.

At age 17, he was sentenced to prison after attacking a man with a stick over two cases of beer; the man lost an eye.

"At first, I'm thinking, well, I'm one of the guys now. I made it. And then I just realized, well, this is what it means to be one of the guys. And I just wanted more out of my life," said Wahlberg, who served 45 days behind bars and says a lot of his childhood friends are "either dead or in jail."

After leaving prison, he turned hislife around, becoming a rapper and modeling for Calvin Klein in his underwear.

But Wahlberg nearly didn't pursue an acting career; he credits Penny Marshall with pushing him into acting. She called him while she casting her movie Renaissance Man.

"And when I sat down with her, I was like, 'Nah, I don't wanna act.' She goes, 'What do you mean? You're acting all the time, you're acting right now. You know, you're just acting like you're cool, you act like a tough guy. You know, take the pages. Go outside, look 'em over, and then come back in, and, and audition for one of the parts,'" Wahlberg said.

He ended up getting the job and went on to an acting career that has included starring roles in blockbuster movies as well an Oscar nom for The Departed. Wahlberg also has become a successful producer, with credits including HBO's Entourage and Boardwalk Empire.

Wahlberg says his biggest regret is not finishing high school.

"Imagine what I could have done with a real education; I'd be running whatever studio I work for now," Wahlberg said.

But he still realizes how fortunate he's been. Asked how he defines himself, the actor replied: "A lucky son of a bitch."

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