Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Warrior


I'm a big fan of MMA so I was looking forward to seeing Warrior. This movie may appear to be about a mixed martial arts tournament, but it is really a drama about the strained relationship between two brothers and their father. I was pleased that this movie really delivered.

The acting was amazing. Nick Nolte has redeemed himself from any prior mugshot disgrace he brought on himself in his personal life. Ironically, he plays an alcoholic with an abusive past. His young family ran away from him 10 years prior. He later cleans up his life and stops drinking, but his sons still want nothing to do with him. It's heartbreaking to see him try so hard to be accepted and forgiven, but they refuse to open up to him.

I like inspirational sports movies, but I am usually disappointed by them so I didn't get my hopes up too much for Warrior. There were really only a few minor things that bothered me. 1) excessive shots of spectators cheering towards the end of the movie and 2) the fake premise that these two brothers with such little experience would make it into such a prestigious tournament on such short notice, 3) The abrupt conclusion. Aside from those little details, I loved it and can't complain.

The fighting is entertaining, but the tension between the family members was incredible. The acting was great. I didn't even recognize Tom Hardy in this movie. When I looked it up to see who the actor was for the younger brother, I was floored.  He was one mean dude and looked like he had packed on a ton of muscle for the role. I am impressed with how versatile of an actor he is.

If you liked Forever Strong, Glory Road, Miracle, Rocky, The Rookie, Remember the Titans, Karate Kid, etc. then you will like Warrior. It 's a sports drama like those other movies, but it is even better.

If you are a woman who thinks you would be turned off by watching men beat each other up, you will probably still enjoy this movie. I give Warrior 8.4 stars and it is definitely one of the best movies I've seen this year.

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