When I first saw the trailer for “Warrior” I thought the film looked like a corny, cheap knock-off of so many other sports movie, this one designed to take advantage of the current popularity of Mixed Martial Arts. Two brothers – fighters – hard times. A rip-off version of last year’s “The Fighter”, without the big stars. Well, “Warrior” certainly won’t get all the Oscar attention that “The Fighter” got, but it’s a much better movie than I expected.
Tom Hardy (“Inception”) plays Tommy Conlon, an ex-Marine who is back from Iraq. He pays a visit to his father (played by Nick Nolte), who he and his mother ran away from when he was a kid because his father was a violent alcoholic. Tommy was a great high school wrestler and he wants to get back into competing, this time in MMA. And even though he still hates his father he wants him to be his trainer again.
Tommy’s brother Brendan, played by Joel Edgerton, is a former MMA fighter who is now a husband, father and high school physics teacher. The family house is about to be taken away because they can’t pay the mortgage so Brendan decides to return to “the cage” to make some extra money. Eventually both brothers are entered into the greatest MMA tournament of all-time, where the winner will get $5-million. And, if you’ve seen the trailer, you know what’s coming.
For a high-action sports movie “Warrior” gets off to a very slow start. Several of the scenes involving the sons reuniting with their father go on much too long. And the big tournament takes-up most of the last half of the film and, frankly, we know what’s going to happen, at least until the final match.
And that’s what sets “Warrior” apart from other typical sports movies – the ending is quite suspenseful because, for a change, you don’t know who’s going to win.
The script is solid and includes one nice twist that adds another layer to the story. All of the performances are good, led by Nolte. His work as Paddy will definitely get him some attention for a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and deservingly so. But this will be the only awards buzz the film will get. It’s not this year’s “The Fighter” or “Million Dollar Baby” or “Cinderella Man” or “Rocky” for that matter. But this is a solid and, at times, exciting film and a must see for MMA fans. Director Gavin O’Connor (best know for directing 2004’s Disney hockey drama “Miracle”) stages very believable fight scenes and uses actual MMA personalities to add to the realism.
“Warrior” is rated PG-13 for the fighting scenes and some adult language. It’s appropriate for kids 12 and up.
On “The Official Kid Critic Report Card“, “Warrior” gets a B-.