I finally got around to seeing this tonight. Great stuff. Watching it in the cinema reminded me of when I caught American Gangster - it wasn't showing me anything radically fresh, but the strength of the performances and direction elevated the material to a level far beyond what must have been on the page. It's amazing what solid actors, slick camerawork, and a bit of Led Zep can do.
Bale was his dependably great self and I don't begrudge him his Little Gold Dude. For me, though, this was all about Wahlberg. In a lot of ways, he's really the supporting character in his own story here. He gets a lot of his thunder usurped by the flashier, wiry Dicky. Wahlberg's too commanding to be eclipsed, however. Micky Ward is the perfect foil for his usual screen persona. It lets him show the simmering intensity we all know he can knock out in his sleep, but it also allows him tender, angst-ridden moments with Charlene (a fantastic Amy Adams.) I've not seen everything the guy's done, but watching Stayff Sah-geant Dig-nam excel in those moments felt like a revelation. Growth. This wasn't just a rehash of Dirk Diggler's youthful vulnerability. This was a man struggling with the shackles of a testing family, massive expectation, and dwindling patience.
Better than The Wrestler.
Bale was his dependably great self and I don't begrudge him his Little Gold Dude. For me, though, this was all about Wahlberg. In a lot of ways, he's really the supporting character in his own story here. He gets a lot of his thunder usurped by the flashier, wiry Dicky. Wahlberg's too commanding to be eclipsed, however. Micky Ward is the perfect foil for his usual screen persona. It lets him show the simmering intensity we all know he can knock out in his sleep, but it also allows him tender, angst-ridden moments with Charlene (a fantastic Amy Adams.) I've not seen everything the guy's done, but watching Stayff Sah-geant Dig-nam excel in those moments felt like a revelation. Growth. This wasn't just a rehash of Dirk Diggler's youthful vulnerability. This was a man struggling with the shackles of a testing family, massive expectation, and dwindling patience.
Better than The Wrestler.
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