Warrior is not your typical martial arts film. Although fighting is the tie that binds the story, the underlying tales of perseverance and family relationships are what provide the structure for this standout drama.
In an effort to escape recent tragic events, ex-Marine Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy) returns to the home of his estranged father (Nick Nolte) after a 14 year absence. A former fighter, Tommy enlists his father’s help to once again train him in mixed martial arts.
Tommy’s older brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a UFC fighter turned teacher, gets pulled back into the ring in order to earn money to save his family from bankruptcy. When both brothers are offered a chance to fight in SPARTA, a mixed martial arts tournament with a hefty purse, they start on a course of events that will force them to face the ghosts of their childhood and redefine their relationship with each other and their alcoholic father.
The film is slow to get started, taking its time to build the characters and paint the picture of this broken family. Reminiscent of Miracle, Director Gavin O’Connor’s telling of the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team victory, Warrior uses the pacing to make the audience care about these individuals by carefully introducing pieces of their history.
The storylines of the two main characters are built up separately in the film until the point where they are forced together by fate. Because they are told separately, you begin to cheer for each one, though for very different reasons. Tommy is the war-hero with the dark past. Brendan is the likable underdog who isn’t supposed to win.
While Hardy delivers an amazing performance as the brooding, violent Tommy, it is Nolte who steals all the scenes. He portrays Paddy, a reformed alcoholic finally coming to terms with the mistakes he made in his past. You can feel his desperation as he attempts to mend his broken family and seek forgiveness from his sons. He tries to rebuild his relationships the only way he knows how, through the common bond of MMA.
The movie is half over before we really start seeing much action. But once it kicks in, Warrior delivers good, solid fight scenes. Though the scenarios are not always believable, we do get a fairly realistic portrayal of MMA fighting exchanges. The action sequences build you up, and leave you on a high. Even if you have no interest in mixed martial arts, you may find yourself ready to spar by film’s end.
Warrior is a surprisingly strong drama. The underlying relationship elements give the film a depth that will appeal to a broad audience. This movie may well turn out to be the Rocky for this generation.