David recommends . . . . . . . . . . . . THE FIGHTER

The best film around. As good as BLACK SWAN or THE ROYAL SPEECH THERAPY, and this time not about posh people.

Yes, it's about boxing, but it's a lot less violent than those ballet gals. But THE FIGHTER is not really a boxing film, it's about family dynamics. It asks the question, "Is blood truly thicker than water?" Just that some of this particular blood is spattered on the canvas of pugilism. Most of the time we do not see any boxing, and when we do the punches are way more predictable than the truly shocking violence of SWAN.

It's a really good film, bleak and slow-paced, reminiscent of the best of Clint Eastwood's work - Mystic River or Gran Torino. We are in the US rust belt, the heartland, a world of economic collapse, urban decline, and crack houses. Think The Wire, but with mostly white folks.

The perennially under-rated Mark Wahlberg is excellent as dumb but determined but going nowhere boxer Mickey. He is the hub of a huge and nightmarish family, who could have been rejected by Jerry Springer for being too OTT.

Hysterically over-acting Christian Bale is his addict-brother-coach. Keeping it in the family as his manager is his hideously domineering working class matriarch of a mother. Let's say this is not the best team a boxer could have behind him. 

On top of that dreadful duo, poor Mickey has what seems like 100 sisters, all of them appalling, all big hair and constantly calling people "you fucking skank". They steal the show, providing a unique combination of Greek chorus and top-notch humour.

Best performance of all has garnered a third supporting actress Oscar nomination for the wonderful Amy Adams, following the great shifts she put in on JUNEBUG and DOUBT. With her giant, hyper-cute saucer eyes - even bigger than Anne Hathaway's - Adams normally plays adorable ingenues. But here she is as tough as they come, and as Mickey's new girlfriend is the agent of plot change encouraging her feckless man to stand up to the clan from hell. The best boxing action of the whole film happens when the harridans turn up to stop her interfering with family business. It's all, like, "You fucking skank!" "Don't call me a skank, you fucking skank!" Whack! Pow! Aaaagh! Grunt. "Oh my Gaaahd!" 

It's worth the ticket price just to see Adams' and Wahlberg's performances.

THE FIGHTER is an excellent film about relationships and family ties and the conflicts between them and personal aspirations. Wahlberg's Micky finds himself in a genuine dilemma, providing a sterner test than anything he meets in the ring. Will he resolve it? Watch and see, and if you think the plot is heading in typical Hollywood hype direction bear in mind that THE FIGHTER is a true story.