This may seem weird, but before I get into my review of The Fighter, I want to talk about why Rocky III is the best boxing movie ever made. Rocky III finds Rocky at the top -- he's the world champion, he's rich, and he's famous. As the movie progresses, things happen and Rocky finds himself having to go back to his humble beginnings in order to get his swagger back. (You know what they called it in the film, don't make me say it.) So, Rocky III is the opposite of every other boxing movies, which inevitably finds the boxer coming out of nowhere and having to work his way up from nothing. This is the kind of story which we find in The Fighter and, because of that, it can be lumped in with other boxing movies. However, that's about the only thing wrong with it.

The Fighter tells the true story of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) who lives in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts. Micky's older brother, Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale), had once been a promising fighter who had fought Sugar Ray Leonard, but Dicky has become a mess and he frequents a local crackhouse. As the film opens, things are looking up for both brothers. An HBO film crew is following Dicky, as they are making a documentary about his comeback. Micky has been training harder than ever, hoping to finally make a real run towards success. This is all overseen by their mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), who keeps her nine children very close to her, and likes to be a part of everything which Micky does. Micky meets a waitress named Charlene (Amy Adams) and they begin to date. Following a particularly bad loss, Micky begins to re-consider his family's involvement in his career. While he appreciates his mother's management skills and Dicky's help as a trainer, he's not sure if they have his best interest at heart. But, when family means more than anything else, drastic change isn't easy. Especially in a family like this, where emotions run high, and tragedy is always waiting around the corner.

Of course, there's much more to this movie than the artistic vision of the director. Bale and Leo won Oscars for their work here (Adams was nominated, but didn't win), and deservedly so, as they get lost in their characters, especially Bale. This is Batman? Bale truly becomes Dicky and his wacked out performance lends a lot of credence to the movie. Dicky is a very goofy and outlandish character, much different from Bale's public persona and it's a treat to see an actor really let go like this. However, Wahlberg must be recognized for his performance as well. While it doesn't seem like much of a stretch for him to play a boxer, he brings a lot of emotion and intensity to the role.

Ultimately, it's the story which makes The Fighter so interesting. If logic had prevailed in Micky's story, this could have been a very straight-forward story: boxer from working-class family makes good. But, it's more than that because Micky feels such a connection to his mother and family. While Dicky has issues with drug addiction, Micky appears to be fighting a similar battle with family loyalty. The last thing that he wants to do is hurt his mother, but he can see that she holds him back. Blood is definitely thicker than water here, and its fascinating to see the dynamic between Alice, Micky, and Dicky. Also, if you don't know Micky and Dicky's story (I know that I didn't), the movie contains a great plot twist which is a shocker and really changes the perspective of the movie.

Again, the pulling himself up from his bootstraps in the dank local gym scenes in The Fighter will feel very familiar to anyone who's every seen a boxing movie. But, beyond that, we are treated to a very well-made and well-acted movie which brings the right doses of emotion and suspense and easily wins us over without having to knock us out.

The Fighter made me wonder if Mark Wahlberg brought his own wardrobe with him on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 35 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing only mild grain and no defects from the source material. As noted above, the fight scenes utilize a different look from the rest of the film, almost giving them a look like we're watching it on an old TV. These scenes show grain and jagged lines, but this was clearly intentional. The rest of the movie looks good. Russell doesn't use many bright colors here, giving the movie a very beige look. However, the image is never overly dark. The level of detail is good and the shots down the streets of Lowell have great depth. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.0 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. As one would hope, the fight scenes sound great. The cheers from the great flow from the rear speakers, while the punches are punctuated by the subwoofer. The stereo effects are nicely detailed and show good separation. This must be a good track, as the thick Massachusetts accents were intelligible.

The Fighter Blu-ray Disc offers a handful of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director David O. Russell. "The Warrior's Code: Filming The Fighter" (30 minutes) is what a making of should be, as it actually starts at the beginning. We hear how the producers pitched the idea, how Wahlberg was cast and trained, and how the rest of the cast was put-together. There's a wealth of footage of Wahlberg training. Most importantly, there are comments from the real Micky Ward and Dicky Ecklund and we see them working with Wahlberg. The piece contains a nice amount of on-set footage. "Keeping the Faith" (9 minutes) traces how boxing runs in Micky and Dicky's family. We hear comments from multiple real-life family members talking about the various relatives who have been boxers and held titles. The Disc contains sixteen DELETED SCENES which run 17 minutes and can be viewed with commnetary from Russell. First things first, they shouldn't have cut out the scene which introduces Micky's sisters -- that would have helped a lot. A scene depicting the effects of crack was clearly cut for being too artsy. The bulk of these scenes revolve around Dicky and some are simply extended scenes. Most have to do with the documentary. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.