Fighter, The

N/A

Matt Damon and Brad Pitt were previously attached to play Dick Ecklund, but the role went to Christian Bale.

Darren Aronofsky was previously attached to direct.

Michael Fassbender auditioned for a role.

Emily Blunt turned down a role.

Art Ramalho's gym is the actual Lowell West End Gym and not a set. This is in fact where Micky trained and is still a functioning boxing gym to this day.

The big fight filmed in Lowell at The Tsongas Arena had over 200 "dummies" (props - not people) in the audience to help fill up the stands.

Christian Bale reportedly lost weight to achieve the very thin frame of Dickie Ecklund by eating very little. He even went missing for hours at a time in preparation for his role.

The Fighter (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

16 New from $13.00 59 Used from $5.47 as of 05/23/2013 1:22 MST details Technical Details Add To Baby Registry Add To Wedding Registry Add To Wishlist Tell A Friend All Customer Reviews All Offers

Actor: Christian Bale Actor: Mark Wahlberg AspectRatio: 1.85:1 AudienceRating: R (Restricted) Binding: Blu-ray Brand: Paramount Director: David O. Russell EAN: 0097361166643 EANList: Format: Multiple Formats IsEligibleForTradeIn: 1 ItemDimensions: Label: Paramount Pictures Languages: ListPrice: Manufacturer: Paramount Pictures MPN: PARBR116664 NumberOfDiscs: 2 PackageDimensions: PackageQuantity: 1 PartNumber: PARBR116664 ProductGroup: DVD ProductTypeName: ABIS_DVD Publisher: Paramount Pictures RegionCode: 1 ReleaseDate: 2011-03-15 RunningTime: 116 SKU: 5M-RFI2-ILWD Studio: Paramount Pictures Title: The Fighter (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) TradeInValue: UPC: 097361166643 UPCList:

Product Description Academy Award® Nominees Mark Wahlberg (The Departed), Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) and Amy Adams (Doubt) star in this “remarkable” film*. Based on a true story, two brothers, against all the odds, come together to train for a historic title bout that has the power to reunite their fractured family and give their hard-luck town what it's been waiting for: pride. Micky Ward (Wahlberg) is a struggling boxer long overshadowed by his older brother and trainer, Dicky (Bale), 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. *Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Amazon.com It would be a mistake to confuse The Fighter with the story of Mark Wahlberg, though the similarities are striking. Completely convincing as a boxer, Wahlberg plays welterweight Micky Ward, who grew up in working-class Massachusetts. Like the actor-producer, he had eight siblings, one more famous than the rest. Ward's half-brother, Dicky Eklund (a gaunt, crazy-eyed Christian Bale), turned to boxing first, just as Mark's brother, Donnie, preceded him as a performer (first by singing, then by acting). The similarities end there: Dicky, once known as "The Pride of Lowell," traded his promising pugilistic career for a crack pipe (Sugar Ray Leonard cameos as his best-known opponent). As David O. Russell's film begins, the smothering Alice (Frozen River's Melissa Leo) manages Micky's career, while the unpredictable Dicky attempts to train him. Despite his talent in the ring, though, Micky can't catch a break until he meets Charlene (Amy Adams), a spitfire of a bartender who encourages him to stand up for himself. When Dicky ends up in prison, and Micky takes on a more experienced manager, his fortunes start to improve, but it isn't in his nature to abandon the people who raised him, so he attempts to unite the various factions in his life before his shot at the world championship slips away. Though Russell paints Micky's mother, brother, and sisters with a broad brush, Wahlberg anchors the scenario with his patient, level-headed performance. Rescue Me's Jack McGee also deserves notice as his diplomatic dad, George. --Kathleen C. Fennessy