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The Fighter
Boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.
2010 · Directed by David O. Russell · 116 min · Drama · Screenplay in the scene database · 14 frames
Tagline
Every dream deserves a fighting chance.
Plot
Micky Ward is an American welterweight boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts. Managed by his mother Alice, Micky is trained by his older half-brother Dicky Eklund, a former boxer whose peak of success was going the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978. Addicted to crack cocaine, Dicky is being filmed for an HBO documentary he believes will be about his "comeback".
On the night of an undercard fight in Atlantic City, Micky's scheduled opponent is ill, and substitute Mike Mungin is a full twenty pounds heavier, almost three weight classes above Micky. His mother and brother assure him that Mungin is out of shape, but they arrive at the fight to find he is in top condition, soundly defeating Micky. Retreating from the world, Micky strikes up a relationship with bartender Charlene Fleming.
After several weeks, Alice arranges another fight for Micky, who is considering an offer to be paid to train in Las Vegas. He is supported by Charlene and his father George, angering Alice and his seven sisters, but Dicky says he will match the offer to keep Micky with the family. Desperate for money, Dicky has his girlfriend act as a prostitute and robs her clients by impersonating a police officer, but is interrupted by the actual police. He is chased down and beaten, and an officer brutally breaks Micky's hand when he tries to intervene. Both brothers are arrested and Dicky is sentenced to prison, while Micky is released and washes his hands of Dicky.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
- Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema
- Edited by: Pamela Martin
- Music: Michael Brook
- Production design: Judy Becker
- Produced by: Dorothy Aufiero, David Hoberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Todd Lieberman
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg as Micky Ward
- Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund
- Amy Adams as Charlene Fleming
- Melissa Leo as Alice Ward
- Mickey O'Keefe as Mickey O'Keefe
- Jack McGee as George Ward
- Melissa McMeekin as "Little Alice" Eklund
- Bianca Hunter as Cathy "Pork" Eklund
- Erica McDermott as Cindy "Tar" Eklund
- Jill Quigg as Donna Eklund Jaynes
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: The Weinstein Company, Relativity Media, Mandeville Films, Closest to the Hole Productions
- Budget: $25,000,000
- Box office: $129,190,869
- Themes: sports, irish-american, boxer, biography, family business , dysfunctional family, family conflict, hometown, boxing trainer, crack addict
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