The Fighter is a 2010 biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo.

 

The Fighter is the inspirational, true story of two brothers who, against all the odds, come together to train for a historic title bout that will unite their fractured family, redeem their pasts and, at last, give their hardluck town what it's been waiting for pride.

 

The story unfolds on the gritty, blue-collar streets of Lowell, Massachusetts, where Dicky (Christian Bale) was once known as "The Pride of Lowell" having gone the distance with the world champion Sugar Ray Leonard; however, after losing that fight, like the town of Lowell, Dicky's fallen on hard times. His boxing days are behind him and his life has become shattered by drug abuse.

 

Younger brother Micky (Mark Wahlberg), meanwhile, has become the family's fighter and fading hope for a champion. But despite all of his work, Micky's career is failing and he loses fight after punishing fight. Dicky and Micky's tougher-than-nails mother, Alice (Melissa Leo), manages his career and Dicky serves as his highly unreliable trainer. When Micky's latest fight nearly kills him, it looks like it could all be over—until his iron-willed new girlfriend, Charlene (Amy Adams), convinces him to do the unthinkable: split with his family, pursue his own interests and train without his increasingly volatile and criminal brother.

 

Now Micky has the chance of a lifetime as he earns a shot at the World Championship. But when his brother and dysfunctional family reenter his life, they must all reconcile their pasts and become more than just a family in name. With Micky and Dicky reunited, this becomes more than just a fight—it's an all-out comeback for these brothers, their family, and their city.

 

The Fighter is Russell and Wahlberg's third film collaboration, following Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees. The film was released in select North American theaters on December 17, 2010 and was released in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2011.

 

The Fighter received largely positive reviews. Critics have praised the performances of Wahlberg, Bale, Adams and Leo. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 90% based reviews from 225 critics, with an average score of 7.8/10. The critical consensus is: "Led by a trio of captivating performances from Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre." It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, winning the awards for Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) and Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo). It was the first film to win both awards since Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986.