I’m sure a lot of work went into this, but in terms of enjoyability it missed the mark, for me. Good soundtrack, though.

Based on the true story of Micky Ward’s rise to the Welterweight championship, this film is as much about dysfunctional families and the perils of crack cocaine as it is about boxing. It took four years to make and Wahlberg had to stay in shape the entire time… and what a shape, too! It was a bit of an abrupt ending. Not a mention of Ward’s famous trilogy of fights with Arturo Gatti. Also left out were Ward’s earlier losses to Vince Phillips and Zab Judah. But as the special DVD feature “The Warrior’s Code” explains, the producers wanted an upbeat ending ala Rocky, not pure history. Great acting by Christian Bale, too.