Warrior is one of the best sports films I have ever seen.

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2012)

Minor Spoilers ahead!
Warrior is a fighting film, that mixes its stimulating fighting action with a engrossing story and comes out being one of the best movies of 2011.
I have never been a huge Rocky fan. I watched it allot when I was little and revisited it about two years ago, but it didn't grab me. Then The Fighter came out in 2010 and I was absolutely blown away. All three of these films are about underdogs and their journeys to become the best fighter of their craft. In my opinion The Fighter is the best of the three with Warrior coming in second. I just don't find Rocking as moving or gripping as these two. With that being said, I'll continue with Warrior.
Warrior is a drama, more than any other set genre. The screenplay was superb and it was only intensified by the acting. The cast was perfect all around. Tom Hardy did great as Tommy the big, hulking, silent type. He was one of the most interesting character to me. He was unpredictable and a really sympathetic and misunderstood character. Joel Edgerton played Brendan the older brother who seems to have everything put together, but we soon find out that because of a lack of finances, he decides to get back in the ring. Only ending in a suspension from his job as a teacher. Joel does a great job, but he is still not as memorable as Tom Hardy or the Academy Award Nominated performance by Nick Nolte. Nick Nolte plays the father of the two fighters. He is a recovered alcoholic who has been sober for 1000 days during the time of the film. Two of my favorite scenes in the film happened with confrontations between him and his sons. These two scenes are both nominee worthy and lets just say I teared up a few times throughout the movie.
Besides the story the camera work fit the films structure. It was mostly Shoulder Mount and very up close and personal. The camera went a little crazy during the fights but I still managed to hang on and focus on everything that happened. I thought it was a wonderful choice by director writer Gavin O'Connor.
Warrior is a superb cinematic experience and i loved every minute of it. It has become one of my favorite dramas in a while. Warrior is one of the best sports films I have ever seen. I give it my highest recommendation.