The Fighter

The Fighter was not on my list of movies to see, really... am not one for BOXING or any movies that's got to do with Boxing.... all that punching... all that bleeding... hmmm, just not my kind of escapism.... As much as I like Robert De Niro, I have never seen Raging Bull... probably his only film I never got to see.... and probably never will... I did see Million Dollar Baby just because I like and respect the kind of movies Clint Eastwood directs....

The came The Fighter, with it's top notch cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, et al... already tempting but still the subject matter did not attract me so... that is of course, I saw the trailer and just could not believe my eyes when I saw Christian Bale... how gawky and sickly he looked; and how it looked like it was going to be one of those really nuanced performance, once again... and it was.... anyone who goes to see this movie will just be Blown Away.... and will probably say exactly what I did after finishing the film: "Give the guy an OSCAR, already!" And if they had switched up the storyline and made it really all about his character, he would be a shoo-in for Best Actor, instead of Best Supporting Actor.... He Truly is just getting better and better with his craft... and sooo unrelenting and fearless in what he does for his movies....

Not that am saying Mark Wahlberg was not good - he was... he also did his role justice and has also evolved into a very fine actor... and you will be BLOWN AWAY by his built - quite the opposite of Christian Bale, he is beefy to the max.... even Hotter than his Calvin Klein days.... and not sure what it is, he actually looked younger here that he has looked in years... His character is a man of not many words but you can see all the emotions in his face... his eyes expresses so much that you just feel for him...

The two supporting actresses, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo are TOP FORM too... if I am the Academy, I would have such a hard time who to pick between them to give the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress to... Amy Adams, maybe just by a hair, just because I have never seen, nor would I have even imagined her, in a role such as this... trashy, tough talking, and raw... so for me, her acting was a revelation and had so much depth...

There were other characters in the mix - and all the players did a wonderful job embodying the roles they were all playing... like I sad, TOP NOTCH PERFORMANCES ALL AROUND.... and as an added bonus, the movie really was NOT just a BOXING movie... yes it dealt with the life of boxing brothers - but dealt in so much more than that... the family drama was heart wrenching in so many parts, even when the family is being happy - you still feel sorry for them as you know deep down, they were all living such a sorry life... now am not sure if the real family was so - especially the many sisters, as it was not dealt with much - but in the movie you see and feel it all..

I cannot wait to see how the movie will fare at the Oscars come Sunday nite... and I can tell you this, will not look at Boxing movie the same way ever again....