The Fighter

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2:24

The Fighter

R

2010

1h 56m

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

252 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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Juan C

@RT56343886 Nov 2, 2026

PEAKKKK! Mark Wahlberg really shows off his talent here, lets everyone see why he’s an S tier actor. Great performances by Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Overall this story is great and really gets to show people how great these actors are because they really are pushed to their limits in this one. 10/10 definitely recommend.

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Gareth V

@geewah Oct 16, 2026

It’s a bit by the numbers when it gets in the ring, and Bale threatens to swamp the rest of it, but it’s a rousing, funny and heartfelt film.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Oct 2, 2026

Both this and "Rocky" advocated under established belief on how boxing challenges philosophical strength in life achievements, though this one doesn’t lean any eventfulness towards the sequential fights but rather on the building drama of a dysfunctional familial complexity earnestly captured with occasional humor and mostly impactfully mesmerizing powerhouses from the empathetic cast throwing their own punches outside the ring. (B+)

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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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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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