David O. Russell's The Fighter gets a trailer. Why are Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale starring in a Tapout movie?

My issue with The Fighter is that it looks like the kind of low-end MMA fight melodrama that Tapout puts out a few times a year. Take away the big stars and director David O.Russell, and it's just another movie from the people who brought you Circle of Pain, Unrivaled, or Beatdown (I have to watch this stuff for work related reasons). For that matter, Mark Wahlberg isn't that much better of an actor than the likes of Hector Echavarria or Tony Schiena. I've long believed that Donnie Wahlberg is the far superior, far more natural and credible performer of the two. It might be worth it to see Christian Bale go crazy, but this looks as contrived and as cliched as can be. And the trailer loses huge points by not giving billing to Oscar nominee Melissa Leo.

Scott Mendelson