The Fighter (2010)

I want to punch something. Maybe it's all the familial drug use during the first half, and the low-income family scenes, but I was annoyed by the start of the movie. Staying the course, as I often do, and now I feel rewarded. In the last three minutes my heart rate was up, and I nearly cheered.

Parts they got right include an accurate representation of the characters (at least, according to the last few minutes of showing the real people that inspired this movie).

Parts they could have done better? Well, I love Mark, he's a great actor. I like most of his movies. Here, when he's not in the ring, he's almost dead on his feet, with Christian dancing around him. I didn't like the imbalance of energy.

Amy... WOW. Incredible... comparable to Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas. Raw, confident, enthralling.

In retrospect, I have to give it to the writers and directors... they likened the pace of the movie to the pace of Mickey's fights. With the bell rung, and the championship title won, I think I can respect that.

And finally, to be cliche: watch it till the end, it's a knock out.