I don’t fit the conventional definition of a tough guy. Unless the conventional definition consists of avoiding physical confrontation at all costs. Or someone who, when told there is a “Widow-Maker” ski run, asks if there is a “Die-A-Virgin-Maker run that can be taken instead. Given my previously stated manliness it’s hard for me at times to even watch the brutal beating doled out by Mixed Martial Arts fighters. I don’t dislike the sport and will watch it if it’s on. Knowing that about myself I was skeptical that I would like the film “Warrior” going in.
“Warrior” tells the story of two brothers separated in their youth by an alcoholic and abusive father (Nick Nolte with an Oscar nominated performance) who both turn to competing in an MMA tournament for the five million dollar cash prize to solve their respective money problems. Brendan, played by the very underrated Joel Edgerton (“Animal Kingdom” and the upcoming “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Great Gatsby”), is a semi-retired fighter now working as a physics teacher with a loving wife and two kids and with an underwater mortgage (as opposed to a flailing-in-the-water-without-a-life-jacket mortgage). Due to Brendan’s age and his mediocre past record as a fighter, he is the film’s underdog.
His brother, Tommy, is played by the rising star “holy hell he took steroids for this” Tom Hardy. Both actors were in incredible shape but it looks like Hardy took steroids to get better at taking steroids. I think he’s ruining the integrity of acting and that there should be an asterisk next to all his acting accolades from now on. I’m kidding but seriously, Clemens and Bonds, I hate you. Moving on. Hardy shows up on the door of his newly sober and newly Christian father. Despite escaping with his mother the destructive home life and then enlisting in the army years ago, Tommy’s back with a proposition that his father train him for the MMA tournament. Tommy’s one condition to his father is that the request not be viewed as an attempt at reconciliation with his father.
If Brendan is the underdog of the film then Tommy is the over-dog. Or rather he’s a Bengal tiger with an AK-47 strapped to his back in a dog suit. In other words he absolutely destroys opponents. Tommy quickly becomes a YouTube sensation and crowd favorite thus attracting the attention of the media who unearth some secrets about why he’s home from the Army. This is the only part of film with which I took exception. If Tommy wanted to keep a low profile while he was home then perhaps entering a televised and media-saturated MMA tournament with 16 of the best middleweight fighters in the world wasn't the greatest of ideas. I guess that Tommy can’t help what his natural strengths are, much like my ability to eat an unnatural amount of peanut butter cookies. No one forced Tommy to enter the tournament just like no one forced me to eat those 16 cookies in one sitting. And we both paid the consequences: Tommy in the form of a potential court martial and mine in the form of an upset tummy. I’ll let you decide which punishment is worse.
I enjoyed “Warrior” a lot. I would even go so far as to say it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen this year which is saying a lot given my aforementioned “meh” attitude about MMA and the UFC. What separates the movie from a good sports movie to a great overall movie is the examination and “fly on the wall” perspective of the inner workings of this broken family as it tries to heal itself. Nolte as the father has the ability to be both heartbreaking as a man desperately trying to make amends yet still possess that terrifying darkness lurking just beneath the surface that makes his abominable past believable. The movie also benefits from great direction from Gavin O'Connor who previously skillfully directed “Miracle”. Here he’s given more leeway in the storytelling since he’s not telling a true story.
In the end, “Warrior” won’t boost your testosterone. In fact it could reduce you to tears which is a step in the opposite direction (unless you’re taking steroids in which case it’s just a side effect and you should see a doctor). By the time you get to the end credits you’ll have seen a superbly acted sports movie that offers you two sympathetic protagonists squaring off against each other and you really don’t know who will win or, more importantly, who you want to win. If you’re wondering if the film boosted my manliness, you’ll have to excuse me as I need to ice my wrists and treat myself to a juice box after typing this.
