3 Nuts!
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Warrior is about two brothers, Tommy, played by Tom Hardy and Brendon, played by Joel Edgerton. Tommy, the younger brother has returned home after many years to his father, a recovering alcoholic played by Nick Nolte. His plan is for his father to train him to become a -professional MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter. Brendon, an ex- professional MMA fighter is employed as a high school teacher. He is having trouble making enough money to support his family and so he returns to professional fighting in order to earn some much needed additional income. For the first hour of the film each of the brothers stories are kept completely separate. The two have no contact with each other and Tommy doesn’t seem to be in any rush to become reacquainted with his big brother. Tommy has incredible rancor towards his father and is only staying with him because his father is a great trainer. The scenes between the father and son are some of the strongest moments in the film. The viewer learns that the father has been sober for 1000 days and feels contrite for the way things are between him and his sons. The dad desperately wants to make amends but Tommy is no longer looking for a father figure. Brendon’s story is also absorbing as the audience watches him transform from a teacher into a great MMA fighter.
The second half of the film is primarily MMA fight scenes. The viewer will see a total of 5 fights. Tommy is intrepid as he relentlessly battles against his opponents. Brendon’s style however gives the audience a more realistic idea as to how daunting other fighters can be. These fight scenes are very exhilarating and ultimately build up to an unforgettable final brawl. At times the fights can seem a bit much in that anyone of them could have been the final fight. It was hard to imagine that the film would be able to top each preceding fight but it does.
This film explores the limits of both physical and emotional extremes. The performances are so genuinely convincing that the audience can see and feel the brothers’ anguish. This is due to the remarkable acting by both Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy. Tommy is a rather reserved person, but Hardy plays the character extremely well so that the audience can understand where he is coming from. Unfortunately the good acting is accompanied by some horrendous acting from several of the supporting characters.
A shortcoming in this film appears to be figuring out who the main character really is. For the first half of the movie it feels like it is Tommy but by the second half it has shifted somewhat to Brendon. It was hard to choose who to root for because in the end only one can be the victor.
Looking at the film from a technical MMA standpoint there is a huge flaw. There is no blood. Warrior is a PG-13 movie about an R rated sport. People unfamiliar to the sport will be shocked when they go to watch a real MMA fight after seeing this film. There are a few times in the film where a real professional fight would have been stopped; however, they let these keep going in order to build the drama.
This film at times felt like a big promotional for professional MMA. It glorifies a brutal sport while making an attempt to attract a younger audience.
In a peaNut Shell: The drama created between the scenes with Tommy and his father was just as captivating as watching the fights themselves. The film throws in the occasional cliché but that is to be expected. Overall this is an incredibly exciting and emotionally charged movie.
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