Addiction: Crack What To Say: Your mom is outside What Not To Say: Sugar Ray slipped Artistic license means all manner of details can be changed when were watching a true story and David O. Russells sports biopic The Fighter is no exception. Boston boxer Micky Ward, played by Mark Walhberg, has his fight record altered and a losing streak invented at the start of the film for dramatic effect for example. One area that needed no amending though is the chronic and complete addiction to crack of Mickys half-brother Dicky Eklund, wonderfully played by Christian Bale. Dicky is first seen as a charismatic and exuberant force of nature who can walk down the streets of Lowell, Massachusetts to greetings and applause. Hes the local boy done good and his younger brothers hero for fighting the great Sugar Ray Leonard years before. As the film unfolds the audience discover the depths to which Dicky has sunk due to his addiction to crack. Hes selfish, manipulative, delusional and unreliable. A once great fighter turned cautionary tale. Christian Bales portrayal perfectly captures the wired movements and restlessness of a junkie complete with another committed physical transformation. His Dicky is near-anorexic in size, full of twitchs and ticks with wild eyes and hollowed cheeks. All of which leaves the audience in no doubt that crack, is indeed, whack.
