Warrior is an unexpectedly excellent film

Rating: 9/10 (29 February 2012)

Before watching Warrior, I expected it to be a poor imitation of Rocky, but set in the more violent world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). However, the reality ended up being very different, because Warrior is an excellent film which is more similar to The Fighter, in which we had also seen the rivalry between two brothers dedicated to the same brutal sport, balancing the action with a deep family drama in which the repair of grudges ends up being as important as the fight on the ring (or octagon, or whatever it is).
It's not very common to find a martial arts movie such well written, directed and acted as Warrior is. For better or for worse, this kind of stories is usually relegated to "B" cinema, in which the action takes precedence over elements such as performances and narrative. On the opposite, Warrior counts with a very well written screenplay, perfect direction and wonderful performances from Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, who both work perfectly as brothers/rivals with turbulent emotions under their laconic surface.
The only complaint I have against Warrior is that its screenplay includes a few clichés. Nevertheless, I unexpectedly enjoyed this movie very much, and I recommend it with a lot of enthusiasm. In summary, a very pleasant surprise.