Having never been much of a fan of Mark Wahlberg's acting, I was pleased to see him cast as the strong, soft-spoken type while the cast's real heavy hitters claim center stage. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo clearly relish their chance to play such a manipulative, self-centered pair, with both lending their roles an unusual amount of depth and character. Beneath the dark cloud of bitter dreams and selfishness that surrounded both, I could tell they saw more than just a meal ticket in Micky's unlikely climb up the ranks, though they certainly took full advantage of the perks.

The Fighter is really at its best when it’s teetering on the brink of two extremes, with loyalty and family bonds tugging in one direction while self-preservation and a devoted love interest pull in the other, and a lot of the air goes out of the story when there isn't some manner of blowoff prior to the climax. The majority of the picture spotlights poor Micky, trying to choose between a rock and a hard place, and in the end he never actually makes a decision, which I guess fits with his unsure personality.

The filming techniques are noteworthy, with a drastically different look and feel setting the mood for documentary scenes, family drama and fights, respectively. It’s a solid flick, though not one I'd have expected to get a best picture nod.