Synopsis
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.
Neptune King of the Sea
I picked this film because not only is it one of my favourite boxing films it’s one the few films out there that I genuinely love, a real top 10 film of all time for me, where do I start? The film is a sports biography based on the true story about the rise of Micky Ward from fringe outsider to world class operator, his brother, and the cast of interesting family and friends he has around him. The script and story is extraordinary with a ring of authenticity which comes from having Micky and his brother is producers, they were massively involved in the direction of the film. The film is funny, touching, and incredibly dark in places (the twist in the centre involving a documentary about Ward’s brother is heart-breaking) but always compelling. Strong performances from Bale (stunning as Dicky Eklund) Melissa Leo as his mum (hard but soft at heart) are underpinned by subtle and charming acting by Wahlberg and Adams. Fight scenes have an air of authenticity, if you look up the Alfonzo Sanchez and Neary fight, they spent a lot of time making them authentic. In fact you can also seek out the Dicky Ekland “High on Crack Street Documentary” as a companion piece to this to get a feeling of the true life dire situation his brother was in. A special mention for the brilliantly put together soundtrack which compliments the film perfectly. I can say nothing more than that I watch this film every six months and i still think its great.
Rating: The Warriors Code
Chip
Viewing Beverage: Coffee
I suspect this film benefited a lot from the massive break since watching the last film in this round of Flicky Flicks. Boxing fatigue was real. I remain still not interested in the sport, and despite The Fighter being based on a true story, none of the people in it meant anything to me.
However, I did mostly enjoy the film and the solid performance from Not Matt Damon. Though Christian Bale managed to deliver his least likeable character yet, and I’d rather spend time with Patrick Bateman.
Glad to see the back of these theme. Hope the next one is better!
6 crack houses out of 10
Pinbot
I don’t know if it was boxing fatigue, but I didn’t really have any great expectations going into this one. The title alone looked like it was a placeholder until they could come up with something more inspiring. I strapped myself in for yet another gritty Rocky cover version with training montages, but to my surprise I actually enjoyed it.
Christian Bale is of course, an amazing actor and completely disappears into his characters and this was no exception. He dominated the screen and even Marky Mark, who can often be as wooden as the scenery, was pretty good also. I was surprised how little boxing there actually was in the movie, it was more concerned with the family drama and tension than sweaty men hitting each other wearing mittens, which was fine by me.
I doubt I’ll ever watch it again, but it had a gripping story, outstanding performances and a ringside bucket full of blood, emotion and angst.
Dan Unda out of ten.
*affiliate link – purchases may earn a small commission for Chip. ^^
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