This Isn't Your Average Title Fight

I went through a period where I watched a bit of mixed martial arts.  I can respect the absolute peak physical shape the fighters must be in to repeatedly go up against men potentially as strong and perhaps more skilled than they are. The fighting is brutal and raw, often leaving men looking like tenderized meat.  The skill each man must train to achieve is undeniable.  "Warrior" has a plot centered in the world of mixed martial arts and respects those attributes as well; but it's also a gripping film about wounded relationships and the strength of family.  I went in expecting to see a movie about fighting and experienced a great deal more.  This is the best picture of the year.

It goes without saying that a movie like "Warrior" needs some talented actors and real emotion to work. The film provides both with an earnest screenplay and three of the year's best performances.  The film has been directed by Gavin O'Connor, whose "Miracle" is one of the quintessential films of the sports genre.  He also co-wrote the screenplay with Anthony Tambakis and Cliff Dorfman.  In a simple fighting film, this script might seem more substantial than it needs to be.  One of the great pleasures of "Warrior" is that it is not a simple fighting film.  The writing here establishes what it must without saying more than necessary.  This allows the key actors to fill in the gaps and keep us engaged.

The plot involves three men from an estranged family.  Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) was at one time an alcoholic with a violent temper.  As he nears 1,000 days sober, he is surprised to see his youngest son, Tommy (Tom Hardy) appear on his doorstep.  Tommy may have one or two secrets buried beneath his shabby exterior.  That he does not reveal them is a wise choice of the screenplay; the revelations come from the action.  Tommy's brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton) is struggling to make ends meet as a high school physics teacher.  He has a nice family that he'd like to be able to support and provide a home for.  Circumstances are against him.  Both brothers are skilled fighters, perhaps from years of necessary self-defense from their father.  Each hold resentment toward Paddy for the same reason, but Tommy has his own good reason for feeling like he made a harder choice, and for that, he resents Brendan also.

The first act takes time establishing each of these men's lives and setting up the circumstances that require them to step into the cage again.  Brendan's reason is clear from the outset, but Tommy seems driven by an unknown rage.  I won't reveal his need, because that revelation comes late in the third act and holds great emotional power.  Hardy's performance could easily be a front-runner for the Oscars because it requires him to carry the film's most complex range of motivation.  I read interviews recently where he admitted to having had struggles in the past, and if he brings some of that experience to this performance, it serves him well.  Joel Edgerton is a native Australian, and further proves that they train them well down under.  If the movie has a conventional lead, he would be it, but that requires much more than it might suggest.  Nick Nolte figures into two vital scenes that provide "Warrior" its most shattering moments.  Those scenes involve each son saying exactly what they feel they need to say to a man diminished by his mistakes; Nolte's reactions and desperate behavior are devastating.

I believe the trailers make it clear that Brendan and Tommy must eventually face one another in the film's climactic fight scene.  The sequences leading up to this moment build with insurmountable pressure and almost unbearable tension.  It is too easy to say you want them both to win; the circumstances provided each man make it so that each NEEDS to win.  The fight scenes are choreographed well and look as I remember them looking on television.  The physicality of the fighters is intimidating.  Gavin O'Connor clearly has an affectionate understanding of the sport and knows how to situate these men for the most dramatic and tense effect. The camera angles early on perhaps aren't set up in the most effective way, but the shots widen out as the movie proceeds to the climax, so perhaps this was intentional to reflect the progression of the fights.  For anyone weary about gratuitous violence, "Warrior" plays it pretty safe.  The matches are brutal, yes, but these men are fighting with more than just their bodies, they are fighting for an honor that both have earned.  You take immense interest in the result because of what each has to lose and what it would mean to win.

 "Warrior" is about as close to perfect as a film can be.  Its authenticity and tender affection for its characters give it an emotionally resonate core and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see many audiences tearing up at least once.  I did several times and while it has the good regard to leave many tough guys reduced to tears, it left me with raised spirits.  I certainly hope to see it nominated for best picture and at the very least, two nominations for acting.  It would be ironic if Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton were nominated against each other for best actor although they deserve nothing less. A more conventional picture about cage fighting might have me leaving the theatre wanting to start a fight. If that is what you want to feel after a movie, "Warrior" is not the one you should see.  When I walked out of the theatre, I just wanted to hug my dad and brother.