- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
- Rating: R
- Region: A (B? C?)
- Discs: 1
- Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: March 15, 2011
- List Price: $29.99
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003UESJHY[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase The Fighter on Blu-ray+DVD+ Digital Copy Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
There are so many boxing movies that have been made over the years that any new film based on boxing can seem quite passé and cliché. When we have seen Rocky, Raging Bull, and Cinderella Man, it’s going to take a great boxing movie to warrant any attention at all.
In steps The Fighter. The generic title is at first not very promising, but this biopic about the early career of Lowell, Massachusetts fighter Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) being trained by his washed-up fighter, crack-addicted half-brother Dicky Ecklund (Christian Bale) is definitely a winner.
With the pressure of following in the lost promise of his brother’s footsteps and carrying the weight of an entire community on his shoulders, Micky meets a new beautiful girl, Charlene (Amy Adams), who inspires him to do better and cut his ne’er do well brother loose, while he works his way through the ranks, all hopes on becoming a real contender rather than a “stepping stone.”
The script for The Fighter is pretty straightforward and predictable, but it is the direction from David O. Russell and masterful performances by Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg that lift The Fighter up into the realm of the great boxing films.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
With an AVC/MPEG-4 1080p encodement that is as textured and gritty as the sport the film portrays, The Fighter on Blu-ray looks as good as film of recent vintage can get. There are plenty of boxing sequences made to look like vintage archival video footage, not up to the same standard of the rest of the film, but that is an artistic choice that works in the context of the film.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is an exciting one with clear dialogue that surrounds you in the sounds of the boxing matches. Every blow lands with an authoritative thud and draws you into the intensity and excitement of the moment. The surround channels are quite active and low frequencies are nicely extended.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
The supplements let you get behind the scenes with the actors and filmmakers plus get a chance to see the real life figures portrayed in The Fighter.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Commentary by Director David O. Russell
- The Warrior’s Code: Filming The Fighter (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:29.57) – This half-hour-long making of featurette features interviews with the real life figures portrayed in the film, the actors and filmmakers, and lots of behind-the-scenes footage.
- Keeping the Faith (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 0:08.33) – The family and friends of Micky and Dicky are interviewed in this brief featurette.
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director David O. Russell (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
- Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
- DVD
- Digital Copy
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
A triumphant and inspiring sports film, The Fighter will go down as a classic of the genre, deservedly so, and this excellent Blu-ray release from Paramount is a great way to experience it. Highly recommended.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003UESJHY[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase The Fighter on Blu-ray+DVD+ Digital Copy Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
