Warrior

Warrior was released on September 9, 2011. It was written by Gavin O'Connor, Cliff Dorfman, and Anthony Tambakis, with story by Gavin O'Connor and Cliff Dorfman, directed by Gavin O'Connor, and stars Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Nick Nolte.





Since Rocky Balboa was released in 2006, a new sub-genre has been forming in sports movies, the fighting film. The Wrestler, The Fighter, and now this, Warrior, are some of these films that have come out of this. They're all about different types of fighting. Rocky Balboa and the Fighter concerns boxing, the Wrestler concerns wrestling, and Warrior concerns MMA (mixed martial arts). This is the first film I've seen, in this sub-genre, or film in general, about MMA. I don't know much about MMA, and I've never found it particularly interesting. I intended to skip this film, until I learned that Tom Hardy was one of the stars, alongside Joel Edgerton, an actor who I have never heard of. (Upon doing some research, I learned that the only film I know him from is Star Wars Episode II and III, where he played the young version of Luke's uncle.) Tom Hardy is one of my favorite actors, and I'll watch anything he does. Including this.

In this film, we meet brothers Brendan and Tommy Conlon, played by Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, respectively. They are both the children of an abusive and alcoholic father, (Nick Nolte), and a dead mother. They were both trained as fighters by their father, Tommy being the favorite. When the family split up, Tommy went with his mother, and Brendan stayed with his father. The mother died, and Tommy joined the Marines, serving in the Middle East. Brendan stayed, got married, became a UFC fighter, had two children, and became a high school physics teacher. When Tommy comes back home, he goes to his father, looking for training. Brendan is 3 months from losing his home, and decides fighting could bring money into his home. They both (separately) hear about an MMA tournament called Sparta, destined to find the best MMA fighter in the world. It's in Atlantic City, is only two nights long, and the winner takes home $5 million. They both get in, not knowing the other is in, with Tommy being the favorite to win, and Brendan being considered the underdog.

The interesting thing about this film is we have two protagonists, we like both of them, we want both to win, and the film doesn't have a favorite either. That's what makes this film so amazing, and makes it stand out in the fighting sub-genre. It was an incredibly smart move, and makes this one of the best films I have seen this year. Without a doubt, this film will be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture next year.

The acting was terrific, with Tom Hardy being singled out as the best performance in this film, and the best I have seen this year. While it is too early to say if he will win Best Actor at the Academy Awards, he will certainly be nominated. Joel Edgerton also does a tremendous job, but he is more subdued than Tom Hardy, who just goes all out. I'm not sure if Joel Edgerton will be nominated for Best Actor, but he could be. We'll just have to wait and see. Another actor that also does a great job is Nick Nolte, playing the recovering alcoholic father. He's got this real desperation about him. All he wants are for his two sons to accept him, and he conveys it perfectly. I think he could be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

Gavin O'Connor is a director I have never heard of. Upon doing some research, I realized I know none of his films. I have never heard of any of them, let alone seen or review them. So, this was my first experience with Gavin O'Connor. It was a good experience. He is a great director, and an even better writer. How he was able to make us care for not one, but two people is phenomenal, especially when they're so different. He did a terrific job, and he better get a nomination for Best Director next year. Also, his choreography for the fight scenes was terrific. Like I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about MMA, so for all I know, this may have been the fakest looking fight choreography ever put on film. But to me, it looked absolutely brilliant. The moves these actors had to go through, the punches, the kicks, the strangleholds. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Overall, I loved this film. It genuinely surprised me with how good it was, and I am glad to say this was my first film of Oscar season. I am truly happy with this film, and I recommend it to anyone. I give it a 9/10.

P.S. It's Oscar season. Time for the good films.

P.P.S. For any followers of the list, I apologize for my lack of updating it. I am now at university, and I am finding I have no time to watch these films. I will continue the list, but my output will become much slower. Also, my due date, August 5, 2015, is probably a bit short for me, considering my new limitations, so I'm getting rid of that limit, and will finish this list whenever it is finished. Keep reading people. :)