BLU-RAY REVIEW

Fighter, The

Featured In Issue 155, March 2011

Picture5
Sound5
WSR Score5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Paramount Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
41666
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Language throughout, drug content, some violence and sexuality
(Retail Price):
$29.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
115
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2010
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
15
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
David O. Russell
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

The Fighter, based on a true story, chronicles the life of working-class pugilist "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his against-all-odds triumph in the ring that united his fractured family and brought pride to his blue-collar hometown. Ward's troubled older brother, Dicky Eklund (Bale, who won the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor) trains Micky for the historic title bout. Micky is a struggling boxer long overshadowed by his older brother, a local legend battling his own demons. Their explosive relationship threatens to take them both down—but the bond of blood may be their only chance for redemption. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Director David O. Russell, The Warrior's Code: Filming The Fighter (HD 29:57), the featurette Keeping The Faith (HD 08:33), 16 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Russell (HD 16:53), the theatrical trailer, a DVD of the film, and a digital copy.

The 1080p 2.40:1 AVC picture is a cinematic triumph with a raw, edgy naturalness that reflects working-class towns and the genuine people who are portrayed. The imagery is nicely resolved throughout, with a textural realism that is captured in the City of Lowell's settings and also the ring. Details are impressively revealing, especially in close-up of facial features, clothes, and object textures, which establish the story's settings. The color palette is never exaggerated but appears to accurately represent the settings. Contrast is well balanced, with revealing shadow delineation and solid blacks. Fleshtones are naturally toned as well. This is a picture that communicates absolute realism and is perfectly supportive of the storytelling. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is conventionally produced, with production dialogue and ADR that is often wanting in spatial integration, though, the courtroom and prison sequences are perfectly integrated. The pop music score is loud and forward sounding but nicely recorded and aggressively surround enveloping. Sound effects and Foley are nicely produced and enhance the realism. While much of the interior dialogue setting is monaurally focused, the soundtrack opens up in several scenes, such as the bar, courtroom, prison, and the in-the-ring atmospherics, to deliver effective surround envelopment. The actual bouts are spatially impressive and dynamic and really create excitement. The .1 LFE effectively punctuates the action with deep, tight bass that accentuates every blow. At times this is a terrifically energized and exciting soundtrack that works well throughout the story's development. The triumph in the ring in the last scene is a tour de force! (Gary Reber)