The movie Rocky was a surprise smash and Oscar winner back in 1977 picking up Best Picture and two other awards. Now, a new film in the spirit of Rocky is about to make a big awards run this season. The Fighter stars Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) as real life boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his unlikely rise to boxing stardom under the tutelage of his ne’er-do-well half-brother played by Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) who also suffered with a drug problem and spent time in prison. Co-starring in the movie are two other Oscar nominees Amy Adams (Junebug, Doubt) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and it’s directed by controversial auteur David O’Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees). Judging from the trailer it looks inspiring and entertaining and could put a boxing pic back in the race for the first time since Million Dollar Baby grabbed Best Pic, Director (Clint Eastwood), Actress (Hilary Swank) and Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman) in 2005. This time we could see Wahlberg in the lead race and Bale grab his first nom in the supporting race while both Adams and Leo could contend in supporting as well. We’ll see how its Oscar prospects turn out when the film is released on Dec. 10 but the buzz is good so far. Check out the trailer for The Fighter below.
The Fighter
