This is going to be a weird opening question for a movie about guys beating the crap out of each other, but do you cry during movies? I'm not much of a crier, but I definitely do get choked up and pretty easily too; any scene involving heroism, overcoming great odds, loved ones dying, personal suffering and anguish, family drama and reconciliation to name a few (very rarely romance though). Yes, I choked up quite a bit during Warrior. In fact I spent much of the latter half of the movie feeling a lump in the back of my throat and distinctly aware that the corners of my eyes were feeling a bit moist. (I blame that on the LASIK though.)
It isn't that Warrior is really all that powerful or emotional; sometimes a scene, or a movie, will just strike a chord with you and you can't really explain it. For instance, I got pretty worked up during Eight Below and I don't even really like dogs! All it really takes is for the emotion of a scene or a character to be convincing and I'm pretty much hooked in. Warrior is such a film as it centers on three deeply wounded characters trying to reconcile with each other. It is a pretty moving family drama that is almost as powerful as the punches thrown during the fight scenes. On top of all the drama is a pleasing sports underdog movie in the same vein as Rocky.
The film is about two estranged brothers who, for various reasons, decide to enter a big winner takes all MMA tournament. Tommy (Tom Hardy) is a Iraq war vet coming back home after over a decade. His brother is Brendan (Joel Edgerton), an ex-UFC fighter turned high school physics teacher with a family to support. The two brothers haven't seen each other in fourteen years because of their drunk and abusive father Paddy (Nick Nolte). Tommy left with their mother while Brendan stayed with Paddy and Brendan's future wife. Paddy, now much older and almost three years sober, is surprised to find Tommy waiting at his doorstep. Tommy wants to be trained for the big tournament, but wants nothing to do with the old man personally. The two brothers spend most of the movie apart from each other. The first time they see each other in the movie, and after fourteen years, comes well into the latter parts of the movie. Their stories are told parallel to each other creating a weird sports movie with two protagonists. When the two brothers inevitably face off against each other in the ring, you wonder to yourself if this match could somehow end in a tie because you don't want to see either of them lose.
Warrior does a great job in establishing characters to care about. Tommy is an angry youth struggling to forgive his father and brother. Brendan is a down on his luck family man who is the underdog. At the center of their strife is Paddy who is trying to do right, tormented by his failures as a father. All three actors are really good here, particularly Nolte who seems to play these types of roles so well. Given that Tommy is so angry to the point of being vindictive and Brendan is a genuine good guy, I found myself rooting more for Brendan. However, knowing the painful past that Tommy went through it is easy to see why he is so angry and unforgiving. The real point, however, isn't who wins the championship, but whether or not the two brothers reconcile at the end. It's tough to get these feelings across in a bout where they're beating each other senseless, but that's just how boys settle their differences I suppose.
Oh, on a final note, the fighting scenes are well shot and choreographed. They look quite brutal. I think boxing may slowly fade away in movies and be replaced by mixed martial arts as the sport gains popularity. The film could have just easily been boxing or jujutsu, as long as the action is exciting. The heart of the story would be the same.
Grade: B+
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