The Trailer for David O. Russell’s The Figther is a Knockout

News, Trailers

The trailer for David O. Russell’s The Fighter is online courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers, and I got to say that it is jumping to the top of my must-see films of the fall/winter. Yes, even above that film about the kid with a scar on his head.

The film marks Mark Wahlberg’s third collaboration with director David O. Russell. Previously they did Three Kings and I ♥ Huckabees, both of which had controversy during the production. George Clooney and Russell almost got in a fistfight on the set of Kings – there was a chokehold involved – and Huckabees is infamous for the shouting matches between Russell and actress Lily Tomlin. The director is described as being hard to work with, so when I learned that he would be working with Christian Bale on The Fighter I thought the set was liable to spontaneously combust with those two around. Apparently, it did not.

Mark Wahlberg trained two years for his role in The Fighter, that of “Irish” Micky Ward, a real-life boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts who went on to become the world lightweight champion. Christian Bale stars as Dicky Eklund, Micky’s half-brother who, after time in prison, turned his life around and helped Micky train for the title. Amy Adams also stars.

Even before the trailer, Oscar talk has been building. Sites like In Contention were making predictions that it would be nominated for at most seven awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor (Wahlberg) and Supporting Actor (Bale). So after watching the trailer, do you think it has a fighting chance to compete for Oscar gold? Could this in fact be the year that Christian Bale gets a nomination?

The Fighter opens in theaters on December 12, 2010. The first trailer will be attached to Ben Affleck’s The Town.

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!