The Fighter
Movie, 2010, The 2010s, Set in Lowell, Massachusetts
The Fighter is #24 of 35 in release order and #24 of 35 in chronological order in the Sports Movies.
The story
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.
The Fighter recap
The Fighter (2010) follows Micky Ward, a Lowell, Massachusetts boxer whose career is run by his mother and his half-brother, a former fighter on crack. David O. Russell directs this boxing biopic. Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) is managed by his mother Alice Ward (Melissa Leo) and trained by Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), whose peak was going the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978. Dicky thinks an HBO crew filming him is making a comeback documentary. After a mismatched fight against a much heavier opponent, Micky starts seeing the bartender Charlene Fleming (Amy Adams), who pushes him to break from his family. Dicky impersonates a police officer to rob men, the real police beat him and break Micky's hand, and Dicky goes to prison. The documentary airs as a film about crack addiction. Micky returns with a new manager and wins an upset against an unbeaten prospect, using Dicky's advice. Placed after The Blind Side, The Fighter comes before Moneyball.
The Fighter ending explained
The Fighter ends with Micky winning the welterweight title against Shea Neary in London with Dicky back in his corner. Dicky comes home sober, but Micky has promised his team to keep him out, and the family and Charlene clash until Dicky turns away from his crack house and persuades Charlene that Micky needs both of them. At the fight he talks Micky through an early beating to a win. The real Micky and Dicky appear at the end, and Bale and Leo won Academy Awards for their roles.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Fighter has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Fighter
The Fighter is streaming on Paramount+, Kanopy, Hoopla, and Pluto TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.8/10, Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Blind Side, before Moneyball.
- Chronological order: after The Blind Side, before Moneyball.
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
- Dendrie Taylor as Gail "Red Dog" Eklund
- Kate B. O'Brien as Phyllis "Beaver" Eklund
Directed by David O. Russell.