The Fighter: Starring Mark Wahlberg as Mickey Ward, Christian Bale as Dicky Ecklund

Wahlberg simply didn't capture Ward's personality. Deal with it! :warning:

 

Bale is a blinding actor

 

Let's face it. Micky doesn't have much of a personality to capture. He's the straight man in a middle of a bunch of crazies.

Wahlberg did a good job in letting everybody else outshine him in order to give the film a bit of levity. Last thing the film needed was another eccentric character.

Jake LaMotta he is not.

..............and whatever you think of Wahlberg's performance, the film never would have been made and Bale would never have been cast without him. He dragged this thing on his back, kicking and screaming for years.

I only wish Ving Rhames would have been able to attract the same type of eventual backing for his Sonny Liston movie.

 

I guess you'll be shocked to learn then, it was actually made in 2008. Name got changed to "Phantom Punch". Directed by Robert Townsend.

They had to cut corners and ended up shelving it. It has not gotten good reviews from the few people who have seen it.

...........and yeah, Ving was probably too old by then, not that Sonny needs a young actor to play him.

 

Who does everyone think will play Gatti?

Who would you personally choose?

 

Adam Beach

Michael Pena

maybe Joseph Gordon-Levitt if he got in the gym and worked out a bit.


and no.....no Italian-American actors come to mind at the moment.

Mario Lopez could pull off the boxing scenes, but he's still considered too "cheese" to get a part in a serious film.

John Lequizamo is probably too old at this point.

 

:giggle:

 

Matt Damon could pull it off.

 

You laugh, but he actually looked a lot like Gatti in that HBO Boxing movie he did awhile back. "Undefeated".

Don't remember if the boxing scenes were any good though.

He'd have no problems pulling off the Gatti slur. Too late though. He's older and has probably put on too much weight since.

 

Yeah I hear ya on that...and they just by-passed that he actually did go for the title earlier against Phillips.... but still a great movie.

 

Taylor Lautner

 

Yeah, I know. I think he just got tired of dragging it around, knew he was getting too old to play the part........and just said "fuck it", and shot it on a shoe string, to at least say he tried.

That's why I said earlier, it's too bad he didn't get the backing that Wahlberg eventually did. They slashed Wahlberg's budget several times in the process, but at least they left him enough to still go out and get a decent cast and crew.