Fighter

Drame familiale (au sens de "drame sur la famille", pas "drame pour toute la famille"), qui est tirée du lot par l'excellent Christian Bale (un rôle similaire à celui dans Harsh Times). Un film psychologiquement crédible et concentré sur la performance, qui n'apporte rien de nouveau au genre des relations intimes et ne propose pas de moments dramatiques plus marquants. Le rôle convient à Wahlberg en raison de son expérience personnelle, mais le film aurait besoin d'un véritable acteur de la stature de Bale. (28/11/2011)

Dès les premières minutes, je me suis dit que Christian Bale méritait toutes les récompenses reçues pour son rôle dans ce film. Son interprétation d’un célèbre boxeur en perdition dans la drogue et qui se noie dans l'admiration que lui vouent les gens du quartier est absolument fabuleuse. Mellissa Leo le complémente à merveille, Amy Adams est belle, sans doute plus que jamais, et Mark Wahlberg est mon préféré, indépendamment de ce que je pense de sa prestation. C’est que ce film est basé avant tout sur le jeu des acteurs qui est vraiment magnifique ; le scénario l'est déjà moins, mais au final, ce n'est pas si grave (c'est compensé par l'excellent jeu d'acteurs). (31/08/2013)

In crack fumes and in the smell of peroxide on boxing Olympus. The sympathetic, if inconsistent, synthesis of the Royck genre film with family-social drama, which has little idea which side to be on more, and thereby prefers to do the sure thing. Thanks to Bale and a very juicy finale, sympathy wins above all, although the question of why Aronofsky reached for a more effective grease from Tchaikovsky continues to bother me. The Fighter is simply a more modest and sympathetic substance. And not just because it's got balls. (21/02/2011)

The strongest response that The Fighter managed to get out of me was curiosity at whether Bale will get the Oscar for his secondary role as the skinny, drug-addicted brother/coach. I hope he does, because, although the film as a whole felt like classic award bait, Bale’s performance is the only thing that stands out among all the cynicism and it impressed me (something the cynicism from recent years, like Invictus or Milk, didn’t manage). Otherwise, it’s an ordinary story about how an unremarkable “loser” goes all the way to the top, though I didn’t get the feeling that Micky Ward made any extraordinary effort for that. The Fighter is not a bad film, but my sympathies lie elsewhere. 6/10 (11/01/2011)

This is not so much a film about boxing and the hardships this sport brings (that's why comparisons with Rocky, Raging Bull, etc. are unwarranted), but mainly a social drama about a crazy family, a domineering mother-manager and two brothers who are completely different in character, all with riveting performances by almost everyone involved. While Wahlberg, with his unchanging poker player expression, hits his acting limits here, the anorexic Bale clearly reigns supreme and whenever he's on screen you can't take your eyes off him. There is such a believable and intimate atmosphere permeating the whole film, that you have no problem empathising with the action and watching it all in one breath. The only thing separating this film from a maximum rating is the fact that the plot meanders through predictable twists and turns, but otherwise it’s undoubtedly one of the films of the year and the Oscar nominations are well deserved. (27/02/2011)