Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale put on the gloves in the trailer for The Fighter

The Boston boxing drama THE FIGHTER has itself been fighting its way to the screen. Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and director Darren Aronofsky were all once involved, but eventually threw in the towel.

Now the movie has Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Mark Wahlberg and his THREE KINGS and I HEART HUCKABEES director David O. Russell. Seems like a decent trade, with some strong work from the principals (including Bale in his spooky-thin mode).

The synopsis: Mark Wahlberg stars in Paramount Pictures’ inspirational docudrama exploring the remarkable rise of Massachusetts-born lightweight title winner “Irish” Micky Ward. A determined pugilist whose career in the ring was shepherded by his loyal half-brother, Dicky (Christian Bale) — a hard-living boxer-turned-trainer whose own career in the ring was nearly sent down for the count due to drugs and crime — perennial underdog Irish Micky rebounded from a disheartening series of defeats to win both the WBU Intercontinental Lightweight title and the WBU Light Welterweight title thanks to a fierce combination of determination and hard work.

Check out the trailer below or in HD at Apple.