REVIEW : Warrior (2011)

It's easy to go into Warrior for the sake of watching Tom Hardy, because that was true for me. Another chance to watch him break someone in a brawl? Count me in.

(Granted, his role as the Bat Breaker came in 2012 while Warrior is a 2011 film.)

Here's what you know first thing going into Warrior: nobody is really friends with anybody. It revolves around the three damaged men in the Conlon family in which no one is one speaking terms with the other person. 

On one side, you have Tommy (Tom Hardy), an ex-marine who returns to his father's house in Pittsburg. It's not a family reunion as one should know when it is revealed that he's dumped the Conlon last name for his mother's maiden name. As much as his dad wants to make things right between them, Tommy wants none of it. The only thing he wants from his old man is training for an upcoming MMA competition that's offering a winner-takes-all $f million cash prize. There's a reason for his decision and I won't spoil it for you. 

In the middle, isolated, you have dad Paddy (Nick Nolte) who tore his family apart by being an abusive alcoholic in the past and is now looking for a reconciliation that neither of his two sons want. When we're first introduced to him, Paddy is in his 1000 days of being sober, and he is eager for his sons' redemption, it's just too bad that past wounds prevent them from ever trusting him. But really, every scene with Paddy trying to reconnect with his sons is sad, it's hard to hear that desperation in his voice without having it tug at your heartstrings. Nolte deserves that Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination he received for his role. 

I'm not too good at dealing with old people begging for forgiveness. Nolte's performance is especially heartbreaking. 

Then in the other corner there's Brendan (Joel Edgerton)—husband, father, teacher, and former UFC fighter—who is close to losing his house after paying for his daughter's heart surgery. He takes up fighting in the parking space of strip clubs to earn a couple of extra bucks,and he end up getting suspended from his teaching job. This leads him to an old friend Frank (Frank Grillo) whose unorthodox method of training fighters involve using Beethoven. Brendan trains and fights, step by step, eventually leading to him standing in the cage opposite his own brother who hates him for not leaving their father when he had the chance. 

For a movie that's about the unrefined sport that is MMA fighting, Beethoven's name sure gets thrown around a lot.

So much praise can be given to Warrior. Overall, it's high on the entertainment factor. The characters are well fleshed-out, they are complex; partly due to the writing, partly due to amazing acting. It's rare to find a movie where there are two protagonists who both start with equal footing. Director Gavin O'Connor pulls no punches in making us connect with the brothers, understanding their motivations, and making an emotional investment in their stakes. 

A movie about MMA fighting will not be one without scenes of sweaty men going at each other and Warrior does these scenes right. Every throw, every punch makes you wonder how anyone in real life can still function normally after going through all that abuse.  It's interesting to see the contrast between the two brothers, and that the way they fight mirrors their personality. Tommy fights brutal, his wrath is all in the muscles and the rock solid punches he throw; for Brendan it is all in the technique, wait out the punches the kicks the throws, then wait for the perfect moment to turn the tide and make the other guy tap into submission. 

You can view Warrior two ways: no doubt it's a sports film that shines light on the underdog's journey to achieve success, greatness. But it's a drama film about family and redemption as well, and sometimes that side of the movie gets a bit more emphasis than the sports/competition side of things. While the fights are absolutely gripping and brilliant, in the end what proved to be more moving and heartfelt was the relationship between the three Conlon men.

In retrospect, when the adrenaline has died a little, it's not hard to see that Warrior offers little deviation from other films of the same genre, whether it be fighting films or sports films in general, but it pulls you in deeper than all the others by establishing the backstory and dramarama behind each brother's lives because it makes them human—something in films that will always have good graces in my books. It's rare for a movie like this to have the viewer root for both sides of the fence, wanting both to win even when there can only be one. In this field, Warrior definitely transcends all the others. While it may not be hard to predict the eventual outcome, but it doesn't make it any less powerful, it doesn't make this two-hour ride any less thrilling. 

It's going to take a lot more than "I'm sorry" to make these two friends again.

I rate it : 8/10 stars

THE GOOD : Great characters, brilliant acting; love the music, especially the use of The National's About Today at the end.

THE BAD : It's somewhat predictable, as are most if not all movies of the same genre.

WATCH IT IF YOU...

• ...enjoyed movies such as Rocky, or the Hong Kong equivalent, Unbeatable. 
• ...would like to watch Tom Hardy kicking ass; which he does beautifully. 

WARRIOR (2011)

Genre : Sports Drama

Runtime : 140 mins

Director : Gavin O'Connor

Cast : Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte