From The Archives: Warrior
Originally published February 2012.
Mixed Martial Arts or MMA for short, has quickly become one of the most popular contact sports in the world. A sport that less than a decade ago was viewed with distain by many who thought it was nothing more than a way to get real cage fights on TV. The truth with MMA is that its much more than two guys beating each other to a bloody pulp; constant conditioning, knowledge of different fighting techniques, good tactical awareness and a strong heart and will to succeed are essential to any fighter. It’s the latter that Warrior mainly focuses on.
Given the meteoric rise in the popularity of this sport, thanks mainly to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it’s rather unsurprising that a film like this has been made. What was surprising was the wealth of acting talent seemingly drawn to the project. A cast consisting of Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte have really got Warrior noticed by mainstream audiences.
Tom Hardy is a beast. The man who prior to this was best known for roles in Inception, Star Trek Nemesis and Bronson has really added to his acting credentials with a mesmerising performance as Tommy Conlon, a former marine turned MMA hero struggling to come to terms with childhood demons his father (Nolte) and older brother (Edgerton) are primarily responsible for. Hardy has retained his huge size last seen in Bronson and legitimately looks like an MMA fighter while also making sure that he delivers a top class performance. Edgerton is more or less the Rocky type character of the movie, a family man and mirror for Hardy’s character. He is an underdog and is probably the character audiences will connect with the most. Binding these two together and providing the majority of the emotional content is Nick Nolte as a the father, desperate to bring together his family after years of animosity brought on mainly by a devastating addiction to alcohol that he has since conquered.
What makes Warrior work so well is its ability to connect with people who don’t even like the sport. It’s a great character driven movie with some brilliantly powerful performances and heartfelt emotion by the bucketload…it just happens to be set around an MMA tournament!
The action itself however ironically is probably what prevents the movie from reaching the upper echelon of quality filmmaking. The tournament which involves both brothers is no doubt very well shot and edited, you will totally feel every punch, kick and submission but the eventual outcomes of every match are way too obvious and easy to call. In the case of Edgerton’s progress through the tournament, the outcomes are unrealistic and are just leading the audience to the inevitable clash of brothers. Think Rocky but with more hard hitting action and you have a fairly decent idea of how this film goes.
Gripes aside, everything else is handled very well. The supporting characters are all given enough screen time to fulfil their roles well and the action scenes will really excite fans of the sport. The real triumph of the film is most definitely the performance of Nick Nolte who was rightfully nominated for an Oscar for his haunting performance. If you are not touched or even brought to a tear by his heartbreaking relapse then there is something wrong with you.
Overall, Warrior exceeds expectations of both fans of sports/action movies and fans of hard hitting (no pun intended!), gritty dramas. Little nods to the Rocky series and the appearances of real-life MMA and wrestling stars give the film both an authentic feel for the hardcore fans and a touch of optimism for fans of cinema in general and those who believe that anything is possible…even second chances.
Best bit: Nick Nolte’s relapse is heart wrenching and must have taken a lot of effort to pull off convincingly.
Worst bit: The story is a little too predictable and unrealistic. This is highlighted best in the climatic fight.
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