Best fight movie ever made

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2011)

Firstly I need to clarify that I do understand the gravity of the statement I've just made and yes Im ready to stick my neck out and say this is the best fight movie ever made! The perennial problem with fight movies is that it has always only appealed to the sex blessed with testosterone and only a handful of movies have managed to transcend the barrier. Rocky, Wrestler, Fighter and Fight Club being the ones I can recall from the top of my head.
Now lets quickly come to the reasons why Warrior is a must watch
1) The acting is top notch! Nicky Nolte gives a touching performance! He is the absolute standout performer playing the role of a drunk father who is repenting and trying his best to make amends, closely followed by Tom Hardy (the reason why I actually watched this movie) playing the role of an ex army man who seems to be full of hatred and is waiting to explode in the ring. Joel Edgerton does a good job too as a father looking to make ends meet and does justice to his role.
2) The screenplay of this movie is fantastic! Gavin O' Connor deserves full credit for this! Also unlike regular fight movies where you really know whos going to win in the end, this movie will keep you on the edge of your seats till the very end!
3) Warrior might be a fight movie but only about 1/3rd of it is devoted to actual MMA fighting. The rest of the story defines the characters really well. Also even though it times in at 2 hours 20 minutes it doesn't seem stretched and on the contrary you actually wish the movie was longer.
4) It evokes all sorts of emotions from you! And very few movies can actually do that.
5) Fight movies have evolved over time and have come a long way from being just eye catching, physics defying Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan starrers to soul touching and motivating movies like Wrestler and Fighter. Warrior in a way summarizes all these aspects and is a beautiful concoction of great fight stunts and emotions.
I give it a 9/10...a MUST WATCH!