Trailer for "The Fighter"

Yet another long-concealed mystery debuted its first footage its week: David O. Russel's The Fighter. Starring Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo, the film's plot is as follows:

A look at the early years of boxer "Irish" Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.

While the performers appear to be in top form, the way the trailer is cut feels a bit stale. It's your usual down-and-out-athlete-who-takes-a-stab-at-glory-against-all-odds story, at least the way the trailer is presented. Really, the only thing I'm amped for after seeing the trailer, which will hit limited release on December 10, is Amy Adams' performance, if only because the role is so much darker and grittier than the past few major roles she's had. At least now, AMPAS clearly loves Adams, and a going-against-type role, if well received, could land her a third nomination, and even a win for Supporting Actress, a category that isn't exactly stacked with buzzy contenders at the moment (save for 99% likely entry Diane Wiest). Bale looks solid as well, though he could prove to be one note if every scene looks like the glimpses in the trailer. Wahlberg looks...fine. He's a solid enough performer, but I really think we've already seen the best he has to offer as an actor (maybe he should take a cue from Ben Affleck?). And then there's poor Melissa Leo, who despite being an Oscar nominee, can't even get her name in the damn title cards, despite being one of the four major roles. There's just something flat-out wrong about that.