The Fighter is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the life of professional boxer Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Bale). The film also stars Amy Adams as Micky's girlfriend Charlene Fleming, and Melissa Leo as Micky and Dicky's mother, Alice Eklund-Ward. The Fighter is Russell and Wahlberg's third film collaboration, following Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees.