The Fighter

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The Fighter

R

2010

1h 56m

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

253 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

For Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), boxing is a family affair. His tough-as-nails mother is his manager. His half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), once a promising boxer himself, is his very unreliable trainer. Despite Micky's hard work, he is losing and, when the latest fight nearly kills him, he follows his girlfriend's advice and splits from the family. Then Micky becomes a contender for the world title and he -- and his family -- earns a shot at redemption.

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Critics Consensus

Led by a trio of captivating performances from Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams, The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 9, 2017

A

Overall The Fighter is a touching, soulful knockout of a movie.

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Philip French

Guardian

Feb 7, 2011

Both Wahlberg and Bale are excellent in their different registers, as are Melissa Leo and Amy Adams as the differently calibrated women.

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David Sexton

London Evening Standard

Feb 4, 2011

4/5

Wahlberg, always so physically solid, is deep inside himself in this role.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Oct 13, 2024

4/5

While at its core, The Fighter does become a predictable boxing comeback film building to that Hollywood ending, the performances and acting clinic in action are worth your attention and audience.

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Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

Jul 11, 2024

8/10

Bale, Leo, and Adams are exceptional, and Russell’s ability to imbue a conventional underdog premise with his high-strung eccentricities gives the film a unique texture.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Aug 19, 2023

The film falls somewhere between bare-knuckle and blue collar, brought to the screen with that docu-style handheld-camera that indie filmmakers so love to use for bracing reality, and Irish family melodrama...

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 23, 2026

The Fighter = a 4.5 star Movie!

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zachary W

@RT01714879 Sep 1, 2026

This movie is a good watch and based on a true story where they show the real fighters at the end of the movie. The actors selected for this movie do a good job depicting the real people and make this film worth keeping your eyes on the screen.

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James H

@RT22708432 Jul 25, 2026

As others have stated predictable but great viewing nonetheless not a I want those two hours Back I personally am not a Wahlberg fan, but he was excellent in this as was Amy Adams as always

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Rushi G

@Rushy Jun 22, 2026

A classic movie with so many great moments with power-packed performances, especially by Christian Bale. Quite a motivational film. go for it!!!!!!

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Jay W

@RT52162311 Apr 26, 2026

Yes, a great and transformative role from Christian Bale, who deserved his Oscar. But I call "category fraud". Christian Bale was not a "supporting actor". He has the most dialogue and most screentime out of anyone in the film. But anyways, that's beside the point. The heart and soul of "The Fighter" is Micky Ward as he tries to balance his professional fighting ambition with his complicated family relations. The best moments involve Dicky's character progression. There are some plot points that feel rushed, but overall the movie thrives when it is doing this stuff. The fights are not the focus of the film, but when they happen, they're pretty good. This movie chose its fights, and it chose to focus on the family dynamics, and they chose correctly.

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke Apr 11, 2026

Despite some outstanding performances from a very strong cast, the story didn’t work well enough for us to rate it higher than 3.5 stars. It’s well made, but the world it portrays feels grim, dirty, and often stupid, which made it harder for us to enjoy.

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David O. Russell

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Micky Ward

Christian Bale

Dicky Eklund

Amy Adams

Charlene Fleming

Melissa Leo

Alice Ward

Jack McGee

George Ward

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Synopsis

For Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), boxing is a family affair. His tough-as-nails mother is his manager. His half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale), once a promising boxer himself, is his very unreliable trainer. Despite Micky's hard work, he is losing and, when the latest fight nearly kills him, he follows his girlfriend's advice and splits from the family. Then Micky becomes a contender for the world title and he -- and his family -- earns a shot at redemption.

Director: David O. Russell
Producer: Paul Tamasy, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Ryan Kavanaugh, Mark Wahlberg, Dorothy Aufiero
Screenwriter: Scott Silver
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Mandeville Films, Closest to the Hole, Relativity
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Content|Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 17, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $93.6M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS

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