THE FIGHTER packs a punch with such power that it smashes through the boxing genre and into a higher class. This true American tale is celebrated by director David O. Russell as an exploration of competitive dysfunction, while championing the fighter in each of the film's characters. Mark Wahlberg stands tall and proud as the significant heart of a film filled with knockout performances from Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and Christian Bale's Dicky, "The Pride of Lowell," who spars with inner demons, but finds the will to be in his brother's corner when it counts.
