Burying the hatchet

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2013)

For those of you who expect 'Warrior' to be a some sort of fighting extravaganza like the ones Sylvester Stallone or Jean-Claude van Damme used to make, let me get one thing straight: 'Warrior' is a drama about a dysfunctional family. The mother is dead. Her two sons haven't spoken to each other for years and contact with the father is avoided by both of them at all cost. The MMA-contest is but the scenery in which they stand face to face. It easily could have been a tennis tournament or a beauty pageant! That doesn't mean the fighting isn't there. Off course it is. People not familiar with the term MMA are in for a treat. People that follow MMA on a regular basis will probably find the various styles that MMA has to offer not extremely well distilled. What makes 'Warrior' into a fine piece of cinema is not the story as it is seen before in other movies. The performances however of Joel Egderton, Tom Hardy and especially Nick Nolte take it to a higher level and therefore 'Warrior' is definitely worth watching.