The members of ex-fighter Dicky Eklund's family are so punch-drunk with love for the charming bad boy that they won't acknowledge the dangerous road he's on.
Visionary director David O. Russell so deftly weaves the family's story that we, too, are initially seduced by Dicky.
The Fighter opens with Dicky (Christian Bale) and his half-brother, Micky (Mark Wahlberg), showboating for a documentary crew. Something feels off. The pair ambles down the street. Micky nods and smiles at locals, but Dicky's moves are the very definition of swagger. He casually tosses an arm over his younger brother's shoulders and flashes a goofy smile, glad-handing whomever he sees.
Boasting incessantly about his impending big comeback, Dicky bobs almost in step with The Heavy's infectiously funky tune How Do You Like Me Now, and the audience is hooked. Look closer and see his bugged-out eyes, missing teeth and twitchy movements.
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