'Warrior' Movie Review

Let me preface this review by saying I loathe boxing and wrestling (unless it's in the Olympics). I've never watched a Mixed Martial Arts match because I don't see the point of people beating each other up, inflicting what could be permanent brain damage on a complete stranger all for the sake of a monetary prize. For that reason, taken at face value, Warrior did not appeal to me. The basic synopsis - two brothers battle it out in the Mixed Martial Arts arena - made Warrior sound like a generic fight film. But just as you should never judge a book by its cover, you should never judge a film solely by its studio-supplied synopsis.

Warrior is, simply put, one of the best films of 2011. I'll lay a wager right now, even without having seen the year's crop of 'Oscar bait' films still to come, Warrior will be on my Top 10 list. Directed by Gavin O'Connor (Miracle, Pride and Glory) and featuring three of the best performances we're likely to see in theaters this year, Warrior avoids most sports movie cliches and delivers a powerful one-two punch of heart-wrenching drama and some of the most astounding fight sequences on film (although to be honest I watched many of them through the slits between my fingers as they were incredibly, realistically brutal). O'Connor and his cast have created something special with Warrior, making what could have been your standard inspirational ho-hum sports movie into something much more significant and meaty.

Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton) is a dedicated, well-liked high school teacher who's trying to do his best to support his family. He's struggling to make ends meet, struggling to pay the mortgage so that his wife and two young daughters will have a roof over their heads. It's because of his ongoing financial problems that, in addition to teaching, Brendan earns money on the side bouncing at a club. But even combining both paychecks it's just not enough, and with the threat of foreclosure looming large, Brendan returns to the Mixed Martial Arts arena to try and pick up some extra bucks. He'd promised his wife (played by Jennifer Morrison) that he'd never fight again, but fight he does as it's the only way he can think of to keep their home.

Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, Brendan's estranged father, Paddy (Nick Nolte in an Oscar-worthy supporting performance), returns home to find his other son, Tommy (Tom Hardy), waiting on his doorstep. Tommy hasn't seen his father since he was just a kid, moving away from his dad and brother at a young age to live with their mother. He's spent the last few years in the Marines, but he's back now and although he apparently has no love in his heart for his abusive, alcoholic father, he needs him as a trainer. Tommy's also looking to earn a payday in the MMA arena for a reason that slowly unveils over the course of the film, and his ex-wrestling coach dad is his best bet for returning him to fighting form.

Paddy's in rehab and claims to have sobered up, yet Tommy can't find it in him to trust his dad. There's too many years and too much bad blood between the two for Tommy, a man who appears to be on the verge of boiling over into full-on rage mode at any moment, to forgive Paddy's past behavior. Still, his need for a big payday forces him to overcome his disdain for his father at least enough to use him as a coach.

Tommy harbors nearly as much ill-will toward his brother as does his dad, and unbeknownst to the two siblings, they are headed for a showdown. After pummeling their opponents in preliminary competitions, both qualify for Sparta, the ultimate MMA tournament in which the last man standing will walk (or hobble) away $5 million richer. And it's there that Tommy and Brendan will be forced into confronting the past if there is ever to be a chance at repairing their shattered relationship.

While the story itself is a fine piece of work, it's the cast that elevates Warrior from a terrific sports movie to an outstanding, emotionally engrossing film. Tom Hardy, an actor whose career is quite justifiably on the rise, is extraordinary as an emotionally wounded, closed-off fighter who seems to only find peace when unleashing himself physically on an opponent in the arena. Fighting is cathartic and as Tommy, Hardy makes us believe he's this feral animal who uses his fists as a means to heal what's broken inside. It's a career-defining performance, and one that elevates Hardy into the upper echelon of actors of his generation. Of course he's impressive - and intimidating - physically, but it's the film's quieter moments (in particular a meeting in a restaurant between Tommy and Paddy) where Hardy displays such incredible depth. He says more with one look at Nolte than most actors are capable of getting across with a page-worth of dialogue.

Joel Edgerton has the less flashy role as the family man who is truly a good person trying to do his best during extremely difficult and challenging times. Edgerton doesn't look as physically imposing as Hardy, yet his character is just as tough, just as dedicated to the idea of winning, as Hardy's. The moments when Hardy and Edgerton share the screen (either in the ring or in more normal settings) are intense, with these two outstanding actors leaving the audience in a quandary over which brother to root for. And, in fact, that's one of the reasons Warrior works so well and does such a terrific job of avoiding the sports movie trap. As the film works its way toward the pivotal fight, unlike the Rocky movies, Warrior has two combatants to embrace and cheer for.

If there's anything negative to be said of the film it's that the trailers gave away too much of the fighting aspect of the movie without stressing how much of a deep character study Warrior actually is. The trailers sold the film short and did a disservice to the overall production by not going after the emotional angle so much as they did the action.

There are scenes in Warrior that will take your breath away (and/or have you reaching for tissues). Without giving away any spoilers (the trailers did enough of that), the film's at its most effective when it allows Brendan and Tommy to be at their most vulnerable. As with last year's Oscar-winner The Fighter, Warrior uses a very physical sport as a means to bring two brothers together. But while The Fighter was based on a true story and therefore had to follow a certain path to a pre-determined end, Warrior is completely free to cut its own path to sports movie greatness. It's the best MMA movie ever made and one of the truly great sports movies of our time. But it's also a genuinely moving drama about three men searching for redemption. Warrior is a must-see, even for those who dislike sports movies.

GRADE: A

Warrior was directed by Gavin O'Connor and is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language and thematic material.

Theatrical Release: September 9, 2011

Also of Interest: The Best Movies of 2011 / Top 10 Action Films of 2011

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