Warrior is the story of Brendan and Tommy Conlon, two brothers that used to dabble in MMA but have since moved on. Tommy has just returned from war, and Brendan now has a family of his own and is married to the stunningly hot Tess. However, when past demons and financial issues begin to take a toll on the brothers, both decide to step back in the ring to fight for what they believe in.
One of the reasons Warrior is such a great film is due to its strong cast. Tom Hardy (AKA Bane in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises) plays tortured soul Tommy. When he was just a teen he had his life ripped out from under him and is still dealing with those events today. I had my doubts about Hardy as Bane, but after viewing Warrior I have full faith in him. In Warrior, Hardy is a beast. A terrifying, unstoppable agent of destruction. For Warrior he put on an extra 25 Ibs. of muscle (and it shows). I don't want to say much else, but after this film I wouldn't want to be the guy who'd piss off Hardy. Here he plays kind of a dick, but one who becomes much more likeable and whose motivations become clearer by the end of the film.
Joel Edgerton is Brendan, the family man. He works as a teacher at a high school and occasionally moonlights as a fighter outside a titty bar. When financial troubles rear their ugly heads and his home is threatened with foreclosure ( an all too real, scary thought in today's times) he is forced to step back into the ring to fight for his home and family. It's almost as if he is sacrificing himself for the ones he loves (a noble effort and cause indeed). His fight scenes are some of the tensest ones seen in the film, he looks like a normal joe and is nowhere near as built up as the animals he must spar with and so there is always the very real threat that Brennan could wind up in a stretcher by the end of the film ( and indeed, he does get handed quite the beating often throughout the film).
Jennifer Morrison is Tess, Brendan's faithful caring wife. She does a superb job here as the "scared for her husband's life' love of his life. Great acting besides, she also has a perfect ass that is showcased throughout the film (no nude ass shots, but the clothes she wears accentuate that part of her body beautifully). Tess and her daughters provide a more than believable reason for Brendan to stand up and fight, and they are indeed worth fighting for (I know if I had a family like that I'd tear the walls off of a building to protect them). While she jumps back and forth between supporting player and lead character, she still makes a lasting impression and is yet another memorable character in the film.
Nick Nolte is Paddy, the father of Brendan and Tommy. He has a dark past and did some truly terrible things to his family that his sons are still feeling the repercussions of today. He has repented and sobered up though, and now all he wants is to reunite with both of his sons, but they want nothing to do with him. This is quite possibly one of the best roles Nolte has played in a while. You can feel his remorse and pain throughout the film, he is truly sorry for what he has done and would likely step back in time and change his actions if he could. When Tommy reluctantly asks Paddy to train him again, Paddy accepts thinking it would give them both time to reconnect. Of course Tommy isn't interested in that and takes every opportunity he has to remind his dad how much of a piece of shit he thinks he is. Paddy tries throughout the film to reach out to both his sons to no avail, and when he finally breaks down, the ensuing scene is sure to leave most welling up. If Nolte doesn't get a best supporting actor nod in the Oscars it's a crying shame.
Another moving aspect of the film is the relationship between Brendan and Tommy. While this aspect isn't touched on until close to the grand finale, when the film does explore it, it creates some more believable character depth that is quite surprising. Brendan and Tommy have also made a few mistakes in their pasts that have alienated each other. When the two finally do meet face to face on a beach, we expect the scene to go one way but instead it takes a completely unexpected route that will leave most stunned and effectively lays the groundwork for the final epic fight between the two at the very end of the film.
Talking about the fights, how could I not mention what draws each member of the audience to the film in the first place. Each fight is fast, swift, and deadly. Punches are thrown, people are thrown against the cage, bodies are slammed to the floor, and even though we don't get much blood we can imagine it quite clearly. Most of the fights happen near the end half of the film which takes place at an MMA/UFC tournament that both Brendan and Tommy have entered and the reward to the ultimate champion is alot of cash (there are also 2 short fights near the beginning of the film that are sure to leave most breathless). The highlights of the tournament are a match that spars Brendan with a muscular Russian killing machine (similar to Drago in Rocky 4) and the final climactic fight between the two brothers. Most will find themselves panicking during the final fight. We have gone through the film following the two characters quite closely, and the end result leaves us split between who we should root for. I know I certainly didn't want to see either of them take a beating, and when inevitably things get a bit out of control it left me with my pants pinned to the edge of my seat. This is one fight where nothing is certain, and quite a few surprises are thrown in for good measure. The end result is heart-breaking and is sure to leave most with tears streaming down their face.
In the end, Warrior takes a page out of all the classic fight films and follows some of the tropes faithfully, but the thing that sets this one apart from the others is its brutal MMA style, and it's strong heart and character development. In the end, we end up caring for everyone involved. Warrior is so much more than a fighter film, it's a film that also tackles a family's sordid issues and troubled past, and has their conflicts resolved in the ring. It's one of the ultimate guy films, but I'd recommend it strongly to anyone and everyone. I'm not ashamed ( but am a bit surprised) to say that it's the best film I've seen in theaters this year SO FAR (we still do have the fall season after all, and anything can happen when movies are involved). So if you want an early peek at Bane, if you love films that deal with serious family issues, and if you love watching some guys beat the shit out of each other until one can't stand anymore, then Warrior is definitely the film for you....maybe it's the film for all of us.
5/5 Stars BEETER THAN SEX
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