The Fighter

This weekend I had the privilege of watching Danny Boyle’s The Fighter. The film is based on the true story of Mickey Ward and his struggles as a professional boxer. While the film may have just seemed like a boxing film, it spoke a lot about our culture and the way Americans perceive boxing. In the trailer, Mickey is shown losing a fight badly and being so embarrassed to come back to town simply because of that fight. This was eye opening to me because it added this sense that it was more than just a fight. He had to prove his whole town wrong and show his dominance. The added pressure was so tough that it forced Mickey to re-evaluate his career and consider giving up the thing he loved. This also reflected how much society loves to see people fail. Rather than being supportive of a local star, people like the guy at the bar are constantly antagonizing him saying that he’s going to lose or that he is a “stepping stone.” It was irritating me how no one supported him from a place where he called home. Finally, the film showed us the power the media has on people. Dicky (Christian Bale) is a struggling crack addict who happens to be Mickey’s brother and trainer. He constantly struggles being in and out of jail due to his addiction and how he acts under the influence, yet he never learns. Throughout the film, he is being followed by HBO to do a special in which he thinks is about his comeback but in reality is about drug abuse. When he sees himself on the screen, he is suddenly moved because he sees how it is affecting him and his family. It was interesting to see how it took showing rather than telling to change Dicky’s ways. All in all, the Fighter is an awesome movie and reflects societal norms of today.