Warrior (2011)

Out of all of the pseudo-Rockys that this world has given us, I have to say that Warrior is probably one of the best. After seeing the pretty mediocre Real Steel, I have to give thanks to a boxing film with some actual soul to it, and not just some rehashed trash that gets poured out every single year. Starring Joel Edgerton, Tom “Bane” Hardy, and Nick Nolte, Warrior is the tale of two underdog brothers who both enter an MMA fighting tournament to get the money or respect they need for their respective reasons. Tom Hardy plays former US Marine Tommy Riordan who wants to give the money to the widow and son of his fallen friend in the corps, and Joel Edgerton plays physics teacher Brendan Conlon, who is struggling to provide for his family (what we have learned in 2011 is that science teachers have two ways of getting out of debt-fighting and meth-making). Their relationship is further thrown down the road of no redemption with the help of their former alcoholic father Paddy (Nick Nolte, who needs a Best Supporting Actor nod at the Oscars for this film), who Tommy embraces as a trainer and nothing more, while Brendan won’t even do that. There is a heart-breaking shot in the film, where Paddy shows up at Brendan’s doorstep to see him walking in. Without acknowledging him, Brendan walks inside and shuts the door. But before he can do that, Brendan’s family comes to the door. “Brendan! Hey, is that my granddaughter?” Slam. There are scenes in this movie that will kill you from the inside out. Now, don’t get me wrong, we are not dealing with a perfect film here. The film tends to slow down during the middle, and I sort of zoned out at that point. But when the film gets to its climax, it is insanely intense. The two underdogs end up fighting each other, in a fight brother vs. brother. Now, people have said that you wouldn’t be able to root for either one because you want them both to win, but I didn’t. Even though I liked Tommy in this, I like him like I like Will Ferrell in Everything Must Go. I would not want to be his friend, so I spent the entire movie rooting for Brendan. Be that as it may, this is still a fascinating film, one that was painfully under seen. Even coming from a person who doesn’t like boxing films, you really owe it to yourself to see this movie. It is soul-crushing, beautiful, and true. I already have a place reserved for it on my Blu-ray shelf when I buy it.
8.5/10