Recently I watched 2010’s “The Fighter”, starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams. If you haven’t seen it, drop everything and find a copy. It is great. As I will go into here shortly, I am partial to boxing films anyway, but this one is well acted by all parties involved and tells a realistic story about a working man’s hero. Christian Bale in 2010 was at the height of his powers, Amy Adams on her upswing, and Mark Wahlberg turning in his standard performance which happens to work well here.
Before I go to far into it, we made a joke around the time this came out that Christian Bale slummed it in this one so he could get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, as he had been shafted several times before in regards to the Leading Man. I kind of think that is fair, but his performance here is stellar. He looks like a crack-addict, and acts like one too. At the end of the movie you see the pair these characters are based on, and he acts identical to the the Dicky Ecklund in the clip.
I’m not going to go into the plot much here because I have other things I want to discuss, but just know that this film is top notch and you should absolutely see it. Here is the trailer.
Today, rather than talk about the movie itself, I want to talk about how great boxing movies are in regards to storytelling. Even a bad boxing film can give you the feels, and I think it is worth trying to figure out why that is.
First, boxing movies are ready-made narratives. There is always a story to these things, and it generally follows the same framework. 1) Who is the fighter? In this one, Mark Wahlberg plays a working class everyman, working a road crew for cash while trying to make a splash in the boxing world. 2) Who are the supporting characters? In this one, it is the family, as complex and drama-filled as they likely were in real life. 3) What challenges does this fighter have to face outside the ring? Here, his brother/trainer is an unreliable crack addict. 4) The hard life. In this one, his brother is arrested, his hand broken, and his career is in shambles. 5) The sacrifice. Here, he trades his family for some solid footing, allowing him to win some much needed fights to get back in control of his career. 6) The final preparations. This can be the training montage (as in Rocky) or something a bit more character-oriented. In this one, Micky Ward reconciles with his family and his team prior to the final fight to approach the challenge as a united front. And 7) The fight, where the fighter overcomes the odds. These odds are not necessarily “winning” the fight, but sometimes it just means surviving when nobody thinks it can be done. These narratives always have these same steps, but the unique flavors make them unique.
Next, boxing movies make a beautiful allegory for life. Yes, the final fight is generally against a person, but that person is rarely treated as the challenge to overcome. In Rocky, the goal is to beat his and everyone’s expectations. In The Fighter, the challenge is to become his own man outside of his brother’s complex shadow. In Cinderella Man, the challenge is more about overcoming economic hardships and inspiring the working man. Boxing movies are not about beating a person; its about beating yourself and overcoming the hurdles you place in your own way. So while someone is always hitting back, the way to win is to mentally push yourself to continue.
And finally, boxing movies are just plain fun to watch. Rocky films do this best, but once you come to know a character, it is great to see them work out for a fight. Then, it is great to see them punch it out until the final bell. Even bad boxing movies are great; the Undisputed and Southpaw both come to mind… Both lackluster films, but they go through a lot of the same story beats, which makes the final action highly enjoyable and brings up the film at the end.
So, there. Boxing movies are awesome, and I will watch literally any one that comes out. Even Grudge Match, that horrible film featuring an aging Stallone and DeNiro, had its moments. Boxing also require virtually no CGI, so that is a plus in my book. I am kind of rambling here at the end, but trust me… if you havent watched a lot of boxing films, go binge a few this weekend.
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