I loved this movie

Rating: 10/10 (12 December 2014)

I have to admit this film, Warrior by Gavin O'Connor (2011), caught me off-guard. My expectations for it wasn't that high, and I just assumed this would be another run of the mill action flick that would only be entertaining at best. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of emotional weight that became present in the opening scenes and then persisted throughout the remainder of the film. As the story began to unfolded I realized that the Mixed Martial Arts element would only serve as a common interest of the characters and not what the story was all about.
The real drama in Warrior revolves around a family torn apart by abuse and alcoholism. Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy) was a troubled ex- Marine that comes home to Pittsburg to train for a mma tournament, after leaving many years earlier with his mother to escape the abuses of his alcoholic father Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte). Tommy asks father, Paddy, to be his trainer, but makes it clear that training was the only thing his father was ever good at, and being home had no sentiment. Meanwhile Tommy's brother Brendon Conlon (Joel Edgerton) also begins to train for the mma tournament as a means to provide for his family. Brendon and Tommy, however, had not seen one another since Tommy left years earlier and would not meet again until the tournament.
If there was a single word that could sum up the theme of Warrior, it would be "struggle." The performances of Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, and Nick Nolte were all Oscar worthy and as the movie progresses the viewer will learn about the struggles each member of this family. There is so much pain to be felt from each of these characters that I would become torn, feeling deep sympathy for Tommy, Brendon, and even their father Paddy. During the tournament it became increasingly difficult to choose a favorite as I wanted Tommy and Brendon both to win.
My overall opinion of this film is that it is a must see, even if you are not a mma fan. Although the fighting scenes were excellent, the amount emotion in this film is what is unforgettable. I think that the amount of passion in Warrior is unmatched by any film that I can remember watching recently and it has the ability to bring tears to even the most hardened souls. This movie is very powerful and is one of my favorites, some might say that it is similar to the original Rocky movie, but I think it goes well beyond what Rocky accomplished, in that, all aspects of this film is well done. Warrior has a very real feel to it and connects very well with its audience. I highly recommend it.