Film Analysis - Week 20
The Fighter (2010) - Directed by David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams
The Fighter (2010) - Directed by David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams
This film is a Biographical Drama about the early years of a boxer named Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), trying to make a name for himself and follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). The film’s key dynamic at play is the contrast between Mickey and his brother, their names contrast and so do their personalities and boxing styles. The entire film is battle showing how the two brothers are so different. The film is based off of a true story, where Dicky was heavily involved with the drug crack as well as several other narcotics, bringing his stellar career to the end. The performance of both characters greatly reflects their personalities and the weight that they both carry. As with many boxing epics, the film’s cinematography follows a certain style in order to give the audience a much more personal experience and therefore allowing for a greater development of the characters. The film explores themes of trust, betrayal, loyalty, strength, family and courage.
The cinematography in the film varies across the entire film however uses the same kinds of shots depending on the scene. When depicting Mickey’s family, all of hi sisters are shown grouped together, this accentuates the theme of family but also gives a feeling that they are banding together, never leaving each others side and acting as one being or entity. This shows the audience that Mickey is alone, being the only male in the household besides his weak father and crack addict brother. The cinematography goes hand in hand with Mickey’s character in order to show a symbolic link between the way that he feels through the different arc of the film and also the technical aspect of the film itself. Further on, the boxing sequences, are shown in two unique ways. When Mickey is training, the atmosphere is friendly yet motivational, almost trying to reflect the same mood created in such films as Rocky (1976). The camera circles the characters showing that they are focused and isolated, in a mid-shot. However once Mickey begins entering into real fights inside of large stadiums the cinematography becomes much more focused, using close up shots in order to give a first person affect on the audiences, demonstrating how it must feel to be up there in the ring.
The film follows a very sensible arc, following a equilibrium structure. The film uses subtlety and hidden gestures and nuances in order to indicate the bond between Mickey and his brother. The two share several brotherly moments however an element of tension remains on Mickey’s side. From the audience perspective, it becomes very predictable and obvious that the film is leading up to Mickey winning the championship, however this isn’t a bad thing, it is actually a mix of narrative design and purposeful performances. The constant strain from Mickey’s family and the support given by his girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) indicates to the audience that the film is building to a climax. The strategically placed markers of disruption are used in order to keep Mickey from achieving his goal to soon, the audience sees Mickey intervene when Dickey gets arrested, this act of bravery and love gets his hand broken and his brother thrown in jail. Each narrative device is used in order to build tension and make sure that the audience is rooting for Mickey to thrive and achieve the end goal in the film.
The cinematography in the film varies across the entire film however uses the same kinds of shots depending on the scene. When depicting Mickey’s family, all of hi sisters are shown grouped together, this accentuates the theme of family but also gives a feeling that they are banding together, never leaving each others side and acting as one being or entity. This shows the audience that Mickey is alone, being the only male in the household besides his weak father and crack addict brother. The cinematography goes hand in hand with Mickey’s character in order to show a symbolic link between the way that he feels through the different arc of the film and also the technical aspect of the film itself. Further on, the boxing sequences, are shown in two unique ways. When Mickey is training, the atmosphere is friendly yet motivational, almost trying to reflect the same mood created in such films as Rocky (1976). The camera circles the characters showing that they are focused and isolated, in a mid-shot. However once Mickey begins entering into real fights inside of large stadiums the cinematography becomes much more focused, using close up shots in order to give a first person affect on the audiences, demonstrating how it must feel to be up there in the ring.
The film follows a very sensible arc, following a equilibrium structure. The film uses subtlety and hidden gestures and nuances in order to indicate the bond between Mickey and his brother. The two share several brotherly moments however an element of tension remains on Mickey’s side. From the audience perspective, it becomes very predictable and obvious that the film is leading up to Mickey winning the championship, however this isn’t a bad thing, it is actually a mix of narrative design and purposeful performances. The constant strain from Mickey’s family and the support given by his girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) indicates to the audience that the film is building to a climax. The strategically placed markers of disruption are used in order to keep Mickey from achieving his goal to soon, the audience sees Mickey intervene when Dickey gets arrested, this act of bravery and love gets his hand broken and his brother thrown in jail. Each narrative device is used in order to build tension and make sure that the audience is rooting for Mickey to thrive and achieve the end goal in the film.
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