Rather like Silver Linings Playbook and Joy, there's a dysfunctional family at the heart of this story, about a failing boxer who makes good. Christian Bale is the star who's time has come and gone and is now a crack addict, Mark Wahlberg is the loser who pulls away from a particularly dominating matriarch (Melissa Leo) to change his fortune, abetted by new GF Amy Adams (who's great as usual). Hoyte van Hoytema's entirely hand held camera and authentic Lowell MA locations add grit.
I admire Bale but don't like him much, for some reason. He and Leo won Oscars. Story by Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson and Keith Dorrington, screenplay by Tamasy, Johnson and Scott Silver.
I guess one of Pamela Martin's challenges was to avoid anything Thelma had done for Raging Bull - she succeeds admirably in making the fight scenes her own - a talent for diversity (note also complex editing of scenes involving nine children!)
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