I saw Raging Bull some years ago and was convinced that would be the best boxing movie, or even the best movie on any sports stars ever. I am yet to see anything even closer to it actually. Fighter, which too is a true story, is not anything like the above master piece, but it is still a very good movie about boxers.
Dickie, from a working class town, rose to great heights in Welterweight boxing, but fell just short of being the best, is still a living legend in the town. His younger brother Mickie trains under him and adores him like anything. But when Dickie is unable to get him the best opportunities, Mickie has to find his own way out to reach the top.
Three aspects of this movie are brilliant.
The beginning when we are introduced to the brothers through the eyes of an HBO docu team. In this period, it was so realistic, as if the characters were out of a Mike Leigh movie and I really suspect the director is a fan of Leigh movies.
The performance by Christian Bale as Dickie. At the end of the movie, this is what we really treasure. I am sure he has taken great pains to do this character and it tells. Brilliant performance
The depiction of the family of these brothers lead by the mother and some sisters. It is so rare that we get to see such picturisations of a unorthodox family in Hollywood. We have similar cases in Tamil movies a lot actually but I cant remember seeing something like that from Hollywood in the recent past.
The Editing, especially, is excellent in this movie. I am still not very convinced about the boxing scenes though. It rather looks like Mickie decides to punch back and win, just because the script demanded it. Even the final fight in Rocky I, though so many decades older, is much much better.
And glad to see Amy Adams in a very different role than from Julia and Julia.
Dickie, from a working class town, rose to great heights in Welterweight boxing, but fell just short of being the best, is still a living legend in the town. His younger brother Mickie trains under him and adores him like anything. But when Dickie is unable to get him the best opportunities, Mickie has to find his own way out to reach the top.
Three aspects of this movie are brilliant.
The beginning when we are introduced to the brothers through the eyes of an HBO docu team. In this period, it was so realistic, as if the characters were out of a Mike Leigh movie and I really suspect the director is a fan of Leigh movies.
The performance by Christian Bale as Dickie. At the end of the movie, this is what we really treasure. I am sure he has taken great pains to do this character and it tells. Brilliant performance
The depiction of the family of these brothers lead by the mother and some sisters. It is so rare that we get to see such picturisations of a unorthodox family in Hollywood. We have similar cases in Tamil movies a lot actually but I cant remember seeing something like that from Hollywood in the recent past.
The Editing, especially, is excellent in this movie. I am still not very convinced about the boxing scenes though. It rather looks like Mickie decides to punch back and win, just because the script demanded it. Even the final fight in Rocky I, though so many decades older, is much much better.
And glad to see Amy Adams in a very different role than from Julia and Julia.
